


More Than A Memory

by pitch_playbook



Category: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-20
Updated: 2013-07-14
Packaged: 2017-12-05 21:15:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/728014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pitch_playbook/pseuds/pitch_playbook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Its been almost ten years since Beca and Chloe have seen each other. They haven't kept in touch, and their lives have grown apart. When Aubrey plans a 10 year reunion for the Bellas the women meet again, finding out just how the time and distance has changed one another's lives. Can Chloe and Beca's relationship ever be more than just a fond memory again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thefantasmickah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefantasmickah/gifts).



> A/N: Inspiration struck the other night as I was falling asleep for this fic; that always seems to be when I get all of my ideas. I thought about it for a couple of days and suddenly I had a multi-chapter fic planned. This is just the beginning, and I do hope you will enjoy it. As always your feedback in the form of reviews and messages is greatly appreciated, especially for a new story.

**More Than a Memory**

**Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan-fiction. I claim no ownership over the characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.**

Beca scanned her inbox passively, spam, spam, junk, newsletter she wished she'd never signed up for, spam, email from dad, spam, email from Aubrey Posen, spam, junk…wait what? Why did she have a new email from Aubrey Posen? That had to be a mistake. Beca hadn't heard from Aubrey in eight, or was it nine years now. She scanned the subject line,  **Barden Bellas 2012 ICCA Champions 10 Year Reunion**. That explained Aubrey's out of the blue communication with her. It's not like they had kept in touch. Aubrey had graduated and moved away and while they were no longer persona non grata to one another, they weren't exactly best friends. Beca was barely sociable in person; she really didn't have it in her to maintain a long distance friendship with the girl. She had kept in touch with some of the other Bellas, namely Cynthia-Rose, Stacie and Amy, but with Aubrey and Chloe she fell out of touch before the next school year even started.

It sucked really, she wasn't too torn up about being unable to maintain a friendship with the blonde, but she did miss Chloe. It almost seemed like the red head had stopped caring about her as soon as she moved back to Miami. Beca had even heard that she eventually moved back to Georgia, but she had never given the brunette a call. Chloe was her closest friend that entire school year, and all of the sudden it was as if she meant nothing. She told herself that it was just because she was busy with her life, but sometimes she wondered. All those hang ups Chloe had on her phone line over the years, they were from Beca. Too bad she never plucked up the courage to actually say hello, maybe she could have salvaged the relationship.

She thought for a moment before typing out her reply-a succinct I'll be there, mouse hovering over the send button. It hadn't really crossed her mind to say no really. If she did it was likely she would be the only one to decline, and deep down, she wanted to see the girls again. She hadn't seen Amy since she moved back to Tasmania after graduation, or Cynthia-Rose and Stacie since they moved to LA, Cynthia to take work behind the scenes on some television productions and Stacie, naturally to take a job at E Network, her top choice of employer.

The rest of the Bellas, who knows what's up with them and Beca, well she kind of wanted to know. They had all been a part of one of the most life changing and exciting years of her life. It was the year that had made her decide to stay at Barden and pursue her education, which then led her to her current career in public relations. Beca was surprised at what her decision to major in Sociology had led her too. In the years after that first one she stopped thinking so much about LA and her eyes started to open to all of the possibilities her Barden education had to offer. She still loved music, and made her own on a regular basis but it was a hobby now, and she was grateful not to be living on the streets of LA. As a teenager she always hated when her parents would stress the need to be practical and really think about her future, but as she got older she begun to understand. Now, Beca loved her practical job, and her future was bright…at least professionally. Beca scanned the email once more before finally pulling the trigger; it was almost as if she needed to take it in again to really believe it. In less than two weeks she would be seeing the Bellas again, all of them, even Chloe Beale.

* * *

"Hey Aubrey," Chloe chirped excitedly into her phone, "yeah, I just got it on my phone. You didn't have to send me a formal invite you know, it's not like we don't talk every day."

It was true that the two women talked every day; they had for the last 14 years. There was no way Aubrey was getting away from the red head at this point; not that she'd want to. Chloe had been her best friend since the second the exuberant girl introduced herself to her almost obscenely high strung roommate. Chloe never cared about what Aubrey felt were her own personality deficiencies, she liked her, and she saw the good in her; she saw the good in everyone really.

Chloe laughed when the blonde said something about formal invitations being necessary. It was funny when her, mostly former idiosyncrasies started to show a little in moments like this. Aubrey had mellowed out considerably in the years since college, mostly thanks to her two kids, but she still had her controlling moments. It amused Chloe that Aubrey was perhaps the only person in the history of the world who became less crazy and uptight when she had two screaming toddlers to take care of. Gwen and Garrett were Aubrey's two year old twins and Chloe had never seen her calmer than the day she brought them home. Aubrey didn't even freak out when she found out that her first child was actually going to be two children, which was so un-Aubrey like. It was good though, Aubrey was happy and Chloe was happy for her.

"So, who else is coming to the reunion?" Chloe asked excitedly.

"Everyone," was Aubrey's casual reply, as if the fact that everyone was coming wasn't huge news.

"Everyone? As in everyone everyone?"

"Yes, as in including Beca Mitchell everyone. Everyone RSVP'd almost immediately actually, I guess this was a good idea."

"Of course it was," Chloe said, but the slight hint of discontent in her voice wasn't lost on Aubrey.

"Chloe it will be fine, you'll be fine seeing her. It will be nice even, right?"

"Yeah, it will be nice."

Chloe wasn't so sure, but she let her friend go anyway. She didn't really want to talk about it right now, but even if she did she didn't have the time. Chloe had to pick up her own kids from school and she certainly didn't need the tears she was confronted with the last time she was late. Leave it to a six year old to completely flip out over his mother being ten minutes late, but Chloe supposed she would cry too if she thought her mom forgot about her. It was just so absurd because she would never forget about him, or his two sisters. They were the best things that had ever happened to her, the one constant source of joy in her increasingly complicated life.

* * *

The two weeks leading up to the reunion flew by for Beca. She was busy with work, and well, only work. All Beca ever did these days was work. It's not that she's a workaholic; she just doesn't have much of anything else going on in her life. Her stepmother has tried to set her up on a few blind dates, but for the most part they've all been fairly epic failures. She's not sure where Sheila finds these guys, or even the one girl she set her up with "just to see," but she wouldn't classify any of them as her type. Sheila claimed she was being too picky, but what's picky about wanting someone who is sweet, and funny, attractive, smart and hell, was it too much to ask for someone who actually shared some of her other interests. There was only so much Beca could talk about music, even if she did love it, especially with someone who said their favourite band was Dexys Midnight Runners. She wanted someone she could talk to about anything, someone like Chloe.

She tried to push that thought from her mind, it seemed to be something that taken over ever since she received the reunion invite. She had to stop thinking about it really, it had been ten years, Chloe had no doubt moved on with her life. She was probably perfectly happy, incredibly happy even, without Beca. Chloe had been the one after all to really cut their contact off. Maybe she wasn't even looking forward to seeing her; maybe she wasn't at all curious about her. Again the brunette tried to shake the thoughts from her already overloaded mind. She would find out either way the next evening. Please meet us Saturday June 4th at 7:00 pm at Dixie's the invite had read. Dixie's, it was the restaurant the Bellas had frequented for after practice dinners, or before practice breakfast depending on the hour Aubrey was having them meet. Beca had twenty two more hours with her thoughts; hopefully they would actually take a break and let her sleep tonight.

* * *

Every piece of clothing Chloe owned must have been on her bed at this point, at least that's how it seemed to Aubrey but seconds later yet another shirt was flying over her head.

"Too green?" Aubrey teased, picking up the discarded item.

"Its not...enough," Chloe whined, offering no further explanation.

"Enough, what? Not nice enough to see Beca in for the first time in ten years?" Chloe didn't respond to this but Aubrey knew she had hit the nail on the head.

Aubrey knew how Chloe felt about Beca when they were at Barden together. She knew how badly her heart broke when she saw the other woman kiss Jesse after their big win. She knew exactly how many tears were shed when Beca seemed happy with him. She remembered the moment that Chloe gave up on the other woman. It had been ten years but none of that was a distant memory for Chloe either, it was like it was fresh in her mind again ever since the thought of seeing Beca again had crossed it. She was a nervous wreck, thinking about the other girl, as if they were back at square one and Beca was still the mysterious alt-girl and Chloe was the outgoing a capella singer trying to find recruits. She thought about her almost as much in the last two weeks as she did over the entire course of a year at Barden, and that scared her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing thoughts but it was no use. It was almost as if she had never moved on at all.

It was a deep voice calling her name that finally snapped her out of her stupor.

"Hey Chloe, where are the kid's pajamas?"

"They're folded in separate piles on top of the dryer. I washed them all last night," she yelled down the stairs.

"Okay, I'll put them away."

"Thanks. I'll be back late, but I'll try not to wake you when I come in."

"Okay, have a good time."

At least her kids were always well taken care of when she went out; one less thing for her to worry about. She would miss them, but she never had to worry about leaving them with Tom, he was a great dad. Chloe didn't believe him when he told her that he was totally on board with having a bunch of rugrats. That was her dream, but she figured she would have to fight or at least do a lot of convincing to get her partner on board. Tom had agreed though during their first conversation about their future. He told her that he wanted to play catch with his son, and teach his daughter how to ride a bicycle, hell he even admitted that he would play dress up with his kids and let them paint his toenails and stuff; and he did. Chloe laughed, she knew Tom well but this was one of their most revealing conversations. It brought them even closer, and at the time it helped to reassure Chloe about their upcoming wedding.

* * *

Beca couldn't help herself, she popped the mix CD into her car's CD player and listened as the still familiar notes of "I Saw the Sign" filled her vehicle. She had dug it out of a box in a fit of nostalgia and just had to listen to it on her way to the Bellas' reunion. It contained all of the songs the original Bellas had performed together and it sent another rush of memories to her brain. She thought about their early performances, all the head butting and her screw up but the memories with negative feelings attached were quickly swept away by thoughts of happier times. Their mashup of "Just a Dream" and "Just The Way You Are" rung through her ears, a bright smile playing at the corner of her lips. She wondered if her years with the Bellas were the last time she had smiled that big, that genuine. Sure, she wasn't unhappy now but she certainly wasn't as happy. She loved her job, and her life was interesting enough, but there was something missing. Like her missing friends, the Bellas' had left a hole in her heart that she only really felt now, on the verge of seeing them again. Maybe it was the prospect of this hole being mended that made her think about it, but whatever it was, Beca liked the feeling.

Her face fell slightly when she made her way into the restaurant and didn't yet see the expected fiery red locks. She was fifteen minutes early, but she figured that she and Aubrey would have been even earlier. Her expression brightened significantly though when she was greeted in an unmistakable Australian accent.

"Hey shorty, long time no see!"

"Amy," Beca said, leaning into the other woman's embrace.

"How's America been treating you since I left? I know it can't be nearly as fun without the Fat Amy power," the blonde joked.

"Oh good, you know, work is really busy but I really like what I'm doing."

Amy was barely listening; she was the same old Amy, tuning out at the very mention of hard work.

"So, are you still with that Treblemaker?"Amy asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Beca was about to stammer out an answer when the arrival of a number of their other former a capella ladies captured Amy's attention, saving Beca. Her relationship with Jesse wasn't really something Beca wanted to discuss, especially not as the first topic of the night. There was a lot that had changed about Beca since her first year at Barden, but wanting her privacy wasn't one of them. Beca didn't like to talk about her personal life, not with anyone, not even girls she had once considered her closest friends.

There were plenty of hugs to go around and once there were enough of them the hostess led them to the table that Aubrey had reserved. All the way in the back for maximum privacy and beautifully decorated, this was definitely Aubrey's doing. Beca took a seat next to Cynthia-Rose whose work Beca found very interesting. Cynthia was telling her all about the show she was currently working on. It wasn't a show Beca watched, she was never really one for TV but she hung on her every word anyway. People's passions, that is what Beca loved to talk about, and something sorely lacking in a lot of her setups.

Her phone had just started flashing 7:00 when Aubrey and Chloe finally walked through the door. They were the last of the Bellas to arrive, with the exception of Lilly who had texted Amy some strange excuse about why she would be late. Beca felt her breath hitch in her throat when she finally saw the red head. She was wearing a sequined black top that was just low cut enough to be ridiculously attractive yet still tasteful, it was very Chloe. Beca was almost shocked by the way the woman still commanded her attention and her emotion so easily, even after all these years. She had certainly been thinking about her these last few weeks, but she never could have predicted the wave of feeling that would hit her when she actually saw her again.

The red head smiled from across the room, a small, shy smile, very unlike Chloe. Beca wasn't sure what she expected, for her to be beaming maybe but maybe, just maybe her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest the way Beca's was. More likely though, Chloe had moved on and that meant Beca received the same friendly smile as everyone else, nothing more and nothing less.

* * *

Chloe was hesitant to move toward the end of the table where Beca sat. If she sat near her she would definitely have to talk to Beca. If she talked to Beca she would have to tell her everything, 10 years worth of everything. She didn't know if she could do that, if she could spill her guts to the brunette after all these years but if she sat with her, she knew she would. Aubrey took a seat at the head of the table, all the way across from the brunette which gave Chloe the perfect excuse not to move in her direction. It wouldn't be strange for her to sit next to Aubrey, she always had; it was natural. Just as she was about to sit down though, it was a different brunette who foiled her plans.

"Chloe!" Stacie squealed, waving her perfectly manicured nails in the red head's direction.

Beca watched as her two former friends embraced enthusiastically in front of her, or at least Stacie was enthusiastic. Chloe's bright blue eyes finally caught Beca's over the other woman's shoulder. Beca wasn't exactly sure what the look said, but there was a lot behind it, it wasn't a casual glance that much was clear. Their gaze locked for a moment, Beca staring into the other woman's beautiful eyes. It was hard almost to stop looking, but she forced herself in an effort to avoid making things even more awkward.

"Beca," the red head finally said, slipping into the open seat next to her.

"Chloe."

There was a moment of silence before they both spoke up at once, "how have you been?"

It was a loaded question.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have so much planned for this story; it's been hard not to get ahead of myself and focus on writing one chapter at a time. I do hope you'll like what I have in store, starting with this. It's got some more background on Beca and Chloe's lives and what they have been up to during their time apart. As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated, especially for a new story. Reviews, comments and messages always make me smile, and help me figure out what I'm doing as a writer.

It was a moment before either of the women digested the question and spoke up.

Chloe was the first one to speak, blurting out the first thing that came into her mind. "I married Tom."

" _We should get married."_

_They were lying on her favourite blanket on the beach when he said it, completely out of the blue, shocking her thoroughly but not enough to render her speechless._

" _Why?" She wasn't sure why she said it, but it seemed like the most appropriate thing to ask._

" _You're smart, funny, kind, and beautiful, plus we have been together for four years, why not?"_

" _I didn't ask you why you like me, I asked why you want to marry me, those are different things."_

_It was true that they were different things, although a lot of the reasons overlapped for Tom. Her fiery red hair, her insanely deep blue eyes, her adorable smile, the way she always made him laugh, he liked her for all those reasons and then some._

" _Well, we care about each other, we enjoy each other's company, we want the same things in life; we just work Chloe. It's easy with you, we make sense. That's why."_

_She couldn't really argue with that, being with Tom was easy and she did enjoy his company, and she cared about him more than anything in the world. Tom was her best friend, next to Aubrey anyway but the blonde hadn't offered her hand in marriage._

_She rolled over closer to him on the blanket and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. "Let's get married then."_

_Tom's smile was enough to force an even wider one on Chloe's lips, and the look in his eyes melted her._

" _You'll need this then," he smirked, handing her a small velvet box._

" _You bought me an engagement ring?"_

" _Naturally, you actually think I would ask you to marry me and then not give you a shiny object?"_

_Chloe laughed, giving him a playful punch to the shoulder. "It's gorgeous, thank you."_

" _I know diamonds are a girl's best friend, but when your girlfriend has such gorgeous blue eyes, sapphires are definitely the way to go."_

" _Agreed," she mumbled into his lips._

"Oh," was Beca's initial reaction, followed closely by "the shower guy?"

"Yes, the shower guy," Chloe laughed. She could still vividly remember that day in the shower. Tom had asked her afterwards what exactly she was doing breaking into "that aggressive but hot brunette's shower." He just laughed when she told him she had been trying to get Beca to try out for the Bellas. Tom was very familiar with her lack of personal boundaries, but he didn't really care, he liked that she was so friendly and open. When they met in freshman year it had been because Chloe randomly walked up to him as he walked across the quad, grabbed his sweater and said "cute, and the sweater is too."

* * *

At this point Chloe began rifling through her purse, Beca just watched and waited. After a minute or two she pulled out a small photo album and handed it to the other woman.

"Our kids," Chloe explained when she noticed the confused expression on Beca's face.

Beca stared down at the photos, and three smiling faces stared back at her. The oldest one, a tall red head who was the spitting image of her mother, the middle child a red headed boy with freckles and glasses and the smallest a brunette with light hair in pigtails. If Beca cared to admit it she would say the kids were absolutely adorable, how could they not be with their mother, and hey, shower guy wasn't so bad himself.

"Cute," Beca said, handing the album back to the other woman.

"Adrienne, Adley and Alyson," Chloe informed her, "they're eight, six and four. Tom thought two years between each kid would be perfect."

"Yeah," Beca didn't have much to add to the conversation about Chloe's children, or her husband. She shouldn't be surprised really that the red hair is married with a handful of kids. Chloe had talked to her a few times about her dreams for the future and kids were always at the forefront. She loved children, and she was probably an excellent mother.

" _Aly, come here, let mommy fix your mittens, you don't want to get a cold do you?" Chloe said, picking up the small girl in her arms and kissing her on the forehead._

" _No," the little girl agreed softly, "no sniffles."_

" _You ready to go tobogganing Aly cat?" Tom asked, as she and Chloe walked hand in hand down the steps to meet the rest of the family._

_The little one smiled up at her dad, lifting her arms high in the air to signal to him that she wanted up in his arms. Tom lifted her into the air and onto his shoulders, making sure she held on tight to him._

" _So, we'll do some tobogganing at the hill and then come back home and order pizza and make hot chocolate. How does that sound guys?"_

" _Awesome," the same response Chloe got anytime she asked Adley if he wanted pizza._

" _With lots of mini-marshmallows?" Adrienne questioned._

" _Of course, daddy picked some more up this morning especially for tonight. It's a special night."_

" _Why is it special mama?" Aly asked, looking down from her spot on her father's shoulders._

" _Because we're spending it together."_

" _We spend almost every night together," her oldest daughter said curiously, raising an eyebrow._

" _Which makes every night special, wouldn't you say?"_

_Tom just smiled, she may be a cheese ball but he loved that about her. The smiles on the faces of his children were enough to tell him that he wasn't the only one whose life was made that much happier thanks to Chloe's ever present zest for life._

* * *

"What about you?" Chloe asked, sensing the topic was worn out at least for the time being.

"What about me?"

Chloe laughed, nice to see Beca was still as evasive as ever. "Your life, what has been going on with you? How's Jesse?"

It wasn't like Chloe to regret her words, but she found that she was when she saw Beca's face fall.

"I didn't marry Jesse."

_Beca was sitting in a back room at some church near Jesse's house in a big white dress, complete with lace and frills. It wasn't Beca's top pick for a dress, but her mother really seemed to like it and Jesse would too, if she actually plucked up the nerve to walk down the aisle._

_Jesse stood there waiting for her, she was a few minutes late but this was Beca, he had never known the girl to be punctual so he wasn't worried. He beamed at his mother in the front row as Benji tried to give him a last minute pep talk. Jesse didn't need a pep talk though, he was sure, he had been sure about wanting to marry Beca for years. She was the reason it had taken them six years to finally get to this day._

" _I'm coming…" Beca choked out when she heard a knock on the door, but she wasn't so sure that she actually was._

" _Becs, it's dad, can I come in?"_

" _Umm, yeah," Beca wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hands._

" _Here," her father said, handing her a kerchief from his pocket, "this will probably work better."_

" _This is supposed to be the happiest day of my life."_

" _It would be Beca, if you were sure. If this was what you really wanted, you'd be out there already, and those tears would be happy."_

_She hadn't always had the best relationship with her father, but he had certainly always been able to read her. Maybe she was transparent, or maybe he just knew her that well._

" _I love Jesse."_

_Beca started, but her father stopped her. "It's me Becs, you don't have to pretend."_

" _I don't want to do this."_

" _I know."_

" _But he loves me."_

" _I know."_

" _I just…I wish I felt the same."_

" _I know."_

_Beca's father wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, patting her gently on the back._

" _Beca, I'm telling you this because I love you and I want you to be happy. Don't do something you know you'll regret for the rest of your life because you feel obligated. That's never a good reason to do anything, and certainly not a good reason to get married. If this really isn't what you want, then leave. I'll take care of it."_

_He handed his daughter the keys to his car and pointed the way to the back door as he walked out of the room._

_Jesse knew when he saw Beca's father walk down the aisle without her that it was over. She had left him again and this time, she wasn't coming back. Leaving someone at the altar was the ultimate in finality. It wasn't like the time they broke up because she wasn't ready for commitment, or the time they had argued about having kids, this was all of that and more; this said they weren't right for each other. Beca and Jesse had always wanted different things, no matter how much he wished her life plan matched his. He should have seen it coming, but even until the last moment, he wanted to believe it wasn't. Any illusion Jesse had about her loving him as much as he loved her was finally shattered. He ran down the aisle, passing Dr. Mitchell on his way without even as much as a glance. He just wanted to get out of there before the tears started falling, but it was already too late for that._

"Oh," Chloe's response was just as verbose as Beca's had been.

Beca offered a short explanation, "we got engaged a few years ago, but I never made it down the aisle."

"I'm sorry," Chloe offered, genuinely feeling sad for her former friend.

"Don't be, it wasn't meant to be. Jesse was like a romantic comedy, I've always been more of an unpredictable indie flick."

* * *

Chloe smiled; there was a truth in Beca's words that was refreshing. Beca had clearly matured a lot in the years since she and Chloe had last spoke. She had always been steadfast in her opinions, but now she had a certainty about herself that Chloe was glad to see.

The red head spent the rest of the evening chatting animatedly with all of the former Bellas, enthusiastically sharing the pictures of her kids with each one in turn. Beca discovered that most of the other Bellas also had kids. Aubrey told everyone about her British husband Simon and their twins, Cynthia-Rose shared a photograph of the child she and her partner had recently adopted, Jessica and Ashley each had two kids, Stacie had a newborn and even Lilly was pregnant. This left Fat Amy as the only other Bella besides Beca who remained childless. Amy said she thought all of their little munchkins were cute, but she wasn't interested in sleep deprivation, screaming or sticky fingers, although she did offer to babysit. Beca wasn't sure she agreed with the blonde entirely, but it was nice to have someone at the table that wasn't gushing about first steps, or teething.

When it got late, the women began clearing out, most of them with the explanation that they needed to get back to the aforementioned children. Beca was about to leave herself when Chloe caught up with her in the restaurant's entry way.

"I miss you," it rolled off the red head's tongue so easily, like she had been longing to say it for longer than just the four hours they had spent together tonight.

"I miss you too Chloe."

"We should catch up…again. Maybe somewhere quieter next time, and without the rest of the Bellas," Chloe suggested earnestly.

"Yeah…that would be, nice."

Chloe tapped her number into Beca's phone and hit save, taking the paper with Beca's number scrawled on it in her other hand.

"I'm living just outside of Atlanta by the way. Tom and I moved backed here just before Adrienne was born."

"Cool. I'm still living in Atlanta. I moved into a one bedroom after Jesse and I split up."

"Goodnight Beca."

"Goodnight Chloe," Beca said. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she walked back to her car. Even hearing that Chloe was married hadn't dampened Beca's excitement about seeing the other woman again. She was glad that Chloe was happy really, extremely happy if the look on her face when she talked about her children was any indication.

Chloe was smiling from ear to ear when she made her way back into the restaurant where Aubrey was waiting for her.

"Excited about seeing a certain brunette are we?"

"Maybe, and maybe a certain brunette gave me her number."

Aubrey looked almost offended at this, "after you spent all night talking about Tom and the kids?"

"She wants to catch up with an old friend, and we both know I'm in the middle of a divorce."

"She doesn't know that though, speaking of which, why didn't you tell her?"

"I didn't really have an opening to bring it up, besides, you know it's complicated. It's not like I'm divorcing some asshole. People don't really get it and I didn't want to get into it, not tonight."

"Fair enough," Aubrey said, dropping the subject completely.

Even Aubrey didn't fully comprehend the reasons behind Chloe and Tom's split, but like Chloe said, it's complicated. They were still living together, still taking care of their children together, still every bit the same family they were before Chloe had decided to leave Tom. She had her reasons, Aubrey knew that, but it was hard for her to understand exactly why Chloe would leave such a good guy.

* * *

It was after midnight when Chloe finally walked through the door to her house. She unlocked the door and crept in as quietly as possible. Her children would have fallen asleep hours ago, and as much as she wanted to see them she didn't want to wake them. When Chloe made her way through the house she noticed that a light was still on in the living room.

"You didn't have to wait up you know," Chloe said, offering a small smile to the man on the couch.

"I know, but the game was on and then I got really into my book and when I last looked up at the time, I figured you'd be home soon. How was your night?" Tom asked his wife.

Chloe took the seat next to him on the couch, adjusting the blanket he had on so it covered both of their legs. "It was nice. Mostly just women gushing about their little ones and you know how much I love that."

"Yeah," Tom smirked; he had been privy many times to Chloe talking people's ears off about their children.

"Speaking of little ones, how were ours tonight?"

"They were good. Aly was a little upset at bedtime that mama wasn't here to tuck her in, but I read her a second story and she settled down."

"Aww," Chloe pouted, "I missed them."

"You always do."

It was true, Chloe always did miss her kids when she went out, which admittedly wasn't very often. She was just as happy, maybe even more so staying in and watching a movie or playing a game with her family. She went out for coffee and shopping with Aubrey regularly but other than that, she was a bit of a homebody.

* * *

Beca threw her keys on the counter, listening as they scratched across the stone. She swore as she stubbed her toe on that damn cupboard…again. It was like every time she went for a glass of water she walked into that corner. She recovered, taking her water with her to her bedroom. It was late but she wasn't really ready to sleep. Her thoughts were still racing after the night's events. She had seen Chloe Beale again, or whatever her new last name was. She still couldn't wrap her head around seeing the other woman again, it had been ten years. Ten years and Beca still got butterflies when she saw her walk into a room. Ten years and Beca still wished it had been Chloe she kissed that night after the ICAA finals. Jesse had been right, Beca did push away anyone who might care about her, but it hadn't been him that she pushed the farthest away, it had been Chloe.

" _You know, your eyes are really gorgeous," Chloe was leaning in far too close for Beca's comfort._

" _I think that's my cue to make sure you're cut off," Beca laughed awkwardly._

" _I'm not drunk Beca, I don't have to be drunk to compliment a beautiful woman."_

" _Don't you have a boyfriend?" Beca said pointedly, she would say anything at this point so that Chloe would move her lips more than a few inches from her own. This comment did it._

" _Yes, and Tom would agree that your eyes are really gorgeous. In fact he does, that's what he noticed about you when we were in the shower."_

" _What a gentleman," Beca teased, she could breathe easier now that Chloe was at a safe distance. It's not that she didn't want her lips that close, or that she hated feeling her breath hot against her ear, it was that she was afraid to want her that close. Beca had opened herself up enough for one year but if Chloe had her way, Beca would be an open book and she couldn't risk that._

" _I should go," Beca spoke up again after a few moments, "I uh, have a test in the morning." It wasn't really a lie; Beca did have a test but she may have over sold how much she actually cared about studying for it._

" _Wouldn't want to keep you from your academics," the red head smirked, turning to walk away. "See you at Bellas practice tomorrow."_

" _Yeah, see you tomorrow."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I kind of struggled with what exactly should happen in this chapter. I have a clear vision for where this story is going in later chapters, but I'm still working out how to get there. I do hope you will like what I've decided on. As always I love getting feedback from you love readers. Reviews, comments and messages on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow) are always more than welcome. Enjoy.

Beca stared up at the ceiling in her apartment. She reached an arm over to her bedside table, feeling around for her phone. It had been a few days since the reunion and Beca wanted nothing more than to call Chloe, to talk to her again, to see her again, to do anything but sit around and think about her. It wasn't like she had spent the last ten years pining after her or anything, in fact she hadn't even thought a lot about her until last night. It's just that seeing her again had brought back a lot of memories for Beca, seeing Chloe again had reminded Beca of how much she liked seeing Chloe.

* * *

" _Hey Becs, what was so important that I just had to run over here, or did you just want to see me?"_

_Beca looked at the other woman sheepishly; she had sent her a text asking her to come over as soon as possible. They didn't have Bellas practice that evening, and they weren't taking any of the same classes this term so if Chloe didn't come over, Beca wouldn't see her that night. She liked seeing Chloe, hanging out with her, anything with her. Chloe was the best friend Beca had ever had, and not seeing her for even one day made Beca's smile a lot less bright. Chloe was the light in Beca's life._

" _I guess I just wanted to see you," she admitted, watching as Chloe sat down beside her on the bed._

" _That's fine; I'm always up for seeing my favourite brunette, freshman Bella less than 5 feet tall."_

_Beca feigned offence at the comment, "that's oddly specific isn't it? I'm not just your favourite person."_

" _You'd never see me again if Aubrey heard that I said you were my favourite person Beca Mitchell."_

" _Fair enough; want to watch a movie?"_

_Chloe just nodded as she made herself comfortable on the brunette's tiny single bed. Chloe knew that Beca offering up a movie meant she really did want to spend time with her, everyone knew that she hated movies. Chloe loved them but she would never force Beca to watch one if she didn't want to; if Beca offered though, Chloe was always keen to agree. The red head slipped an arm around Beca and stared as she actually watched the movie for once. It wasn't long though before Chloe could feel Beca's eyes on her, suddenly having lost all interest in the movie she was previously watching intensely. Chloe didn't make a move, and didn't try and look at her, not wanting to scare her away. She liked when Beca watched her, just as she liked watching Beca. It was after midnight when their second movie of the night finally finished, and Chloe sat up as gently as possible, not wanting to disturb the head that now lay on her shoulder. Neither of them was sure what they were doing, but as confusing as it was, it was also kind of great._

" _Beca I have to go," Chloe whispered as she moved the brunette's body so she was lying down in her bed, head on her pillow instead of Chloe's shoulder._

" _Oh, is the movie over?"_

" _Yeah Becs, it ended a few minutes ago. I have to get back to my apartment, but I'll call you tomorrow."_

" _Okay. Goodnight Chloe."_

" _Goodnight Beca."_

_Truth was Chloe needed to get back to Tom. She had told him she was just going to hang out with Beca for a bit and then she would come back and watch the game with him. His game would long since be over, but Tom would understand. He'd be okay as long as Chloe came back to cuddle with him as he fell asleep. It made her smile when she thought about the fact that she somehow had managed to hook up with the only guy she knew who actually enjoyed cuddling. He had confessed to her one night that he slept better when he could feel that she was there with him, lying in his arms. It was perfect really, Chloe loved cuddling and she really needed someone who appreciated the simple act as much as she did. Sure enough when she got back to her apartment that night Tom was still up, waiting for her to go to bed. He smiled as she walked through the door, asked about her night, and took her hand in his as they both made their way to the bedroom._

* * *

She stared, considering the numbers momentarily, her fingers seemingly unwilling to dial. She couldn't call Chloe, what would she say, that she wanted to hang out. The idea sounded silly to Beca, they were in their thirties, and really she didn't want to hang out. If she really thought about it she'd like to take Chloe on a date or something. That she couldn't do though, and even hanging out with her seemed like it might be less than appropriate. Chloe was married, happily married if the way she talked about her family meant anything. The last thing Beca intended to do was to get in the middle of the red head's relationship, that wasn't her style. Still though, all she could think about as she stared up at the ceiling was Chloe.

Beca took a deep breath and tapped her name finally. Chloe put her number in there right; she would be disappointed if she didn't actually use it, that was Beca's justification anyway. She waited as the phone rang and rang. She's probably busy Beca thought to herself, she has kids after all. That's what she consoled herself with when she got Chloe's voice mail message on the line. She wasn't going to leave a message, she hated leaving messages; she would just try again later…or not at all. Beca turned to get out of bed finally, she would just go about her Saturday as she usually did, before a certain red head suddenly re-entered the picture. Just as she was slipping on her jeans though, Beca's ringtone blared through the tiny speakers on her phone.

"Hello," Beca said, not having checked the caller ID before she scrambled to answer.

"Hey Beca, you called me. Sorry, I was putting Aly down for a nap and I just missed you. What's up?"

"Oh yeah, it's no problem, you know I was just calling to say hi."

"Well, hi," Chloe laughed into the receiver.

"Umm, do you think maybe you'd like to meet up and grab a coffee or something?" Beca asked hopefully.

"Yeah, that would be great. Tom is actually just at the hardware store but I can meet you somewhere when he gets back if that's cool."

"That works, I mean as long as you're not too busy. I don't want to tear you away from your family or anything."

Chloe laughed again, "Beca it's fine, I spend plenty of time with them. Tom likes having quality time with them too, so he'll probably be happy to hear about it."

"Good," Beca smiled; even though she knew the other woman couldn't see her. "See you at Café Green in about an hour?"

"Sure, see you then."

* * *

Beca sat in the café waiting for Chloe. She had gotten ready and made her way over almost as soon as she got off the phone even knowing Chloe may not be there for over an hour still. She realized as she stared out the window that she actually didn't even know what Chloe drove. It was unlikely she still drove that same beat up Honda she had when they were at Barden.

" _This is your car," Beca couldn't help but snort as she walked around to the passenger side of a blue hunk of scrap metal._

" _Do not laugh at Minnie," Chloe chided._

" _Minnie?" Beca raised an eyebrow and let out an even bigger snort than before. "Of course you named your car."_

" _Yes I did and she's very reliable, she may not look pretty on the outside but she's beautiful on the inside. Don't judge a book by its cover missy."_

" _Fine, fine; I just want to actually get there in one piece and on time is all. This, err Honda doesn't look up to the challenge."_

" _Well I assure you she is, shall we go?"_

_Beca climbed in without another word. Aubrey had planned a Bellas bonding retreat at some cabin a few hours away and Beca had been the lucky one to draw Chloe's name out of the hat when they were deciding who would ride with whom. They had also been the lucky pair to get to ride there with just two in the car, and Beca could see why when she saw the condition of Chloe's back seat. Beca knew that Chloe was at least somewhat well off so the state of her car kind of baffled the brunette, but then she realized that this was Chloe. The woman probably had some sort of weird, sentimental attachment to old Minnie that kept her from replacing the damn thing with something in better condition, something with less duct tape holding it together. Anything would be better really, at least as far as Beca was concerned._

* * *

It was a black mini-van that Chloe eventually climbed out in front of the café. Beca should have known that the only car that Chloe would trade Minnie in for was a mini-van to hold all her kids.

Beca wasn't entirely sure what to do as Chloe approached the table; she sat at first but stood when she realized that Chloe intended to hug her. It was almost as if no time had passed, Chloe was hugging her like she used to when they saw each other every day. It made Beca wonder what had changed. Up until the reunion Beca hadn't heard from Chloe in all those years, and it had been Chloe who had severed all contact. It was like one day they were the best of friends, and the next Chloe had no time for her. Beca figured she got busy with life and would get back in touch when she had some time, but she never did. It hurt Beca that the red head apparently no longer saw her friendship as important, but Beca gave her the benefit of the doubt, assuming she had her reasons, although she was still curious as to what they were.

"Hey," Beca started, deciding to add a genuine, "how's the family?"

"The kids are good. They are helping Tom build a tree house right now, and by helping of course I mean they're totally hindering his ability to actually get any of it built."

Beca smiled, she loved the way Chloe's face lit up when she talked about her children.

"How is the…" Chloe stumbled a little bit over her words, realizing Beca hadn't actually told her much about her life now.

"I'm good," Beca offered, helping her out. "I work in public relations now; I guess I didn't really mention that. It keeps me busy."

"That's great Beca. I know you were trying to figure out what to do with your life, and now you have."

A decidedly tension filled silence lingered in the air. Beca had wanted to meet Chloe for coffee and talk but she didn't exactly know how to steer the conversation. She had a lot of questions, but she didn't think it was right to just dump them all on the other woman, not when they were just reconnecting.

"So, you and Tom?" Beca said, it was more a question than a statement, though she wasn't sure why she was asking it.

"Yeah, me and Tom," Chloe confirmed, she wasn't going to give Beca any more than she was willing to directly ask for. The brunette had done enough beating around the bush about her feelings back when they were in University together.

The awkward silence was back, Beca was keen to break it but she was deciding how best to go about it.

"You're not wearing a ring," the brunette pointed out finally.

Chloe looked down at her finger, as Beca had accurately pointed out she wasn't wearing a ring on it.

"It's actually on my necklace," the red head defended, pulling the chain out from under her sweater.

"Leave it to Chloe Beale…or whatever your new last name is to be non-traditional. Did you even change your last name?"

Chloe laughed, "yeah I did, it's Riley now. I should tell you the truth though. Tom and I are kind of in the middle of a divorce."

Beca tried her best to hide the excitement that was brewing inside of her at the red head's revelation.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's been a long time coming. Tom and I are, well we are kind of complicated."

* * *

" _I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Tom said, readjusting his legs that lay across Chloe's lap._

" _I'm sorry. You know I love you, I just…I can't keep living a lie."_

" _What made you finally decide to go through with it?"_

" _I was in the park with the kids and this old couple walked by. They were holding hands and the old lady stopped right there in the middle of the park to give him a big kiss. I looked at them and I wished so much that I felt the same way about you."_

_Tom was silent for a few minutes and Chloe knew that he was wishing that she did too._

" _I love you, I do."_

" _but you're not in love with me, I know."_

" _I'm sorry."_

" _Yeah, I know. Can we talk about this later? I think I'm just going to go lie down."_

_Tom got up and started to walk towards their bedroom. Chloe hated to see the heartbroken look on his face as he walked away. It broke her heart that she was causing him so much pain, but she had to do it. She couldn't keep lying to herself anymore about her relationship and pretending everything was okay. She didn't love Tom, and it wasn't right for her to stay with him anymore. She just wished doing the right thing didn't feel so incredibly awful._

" _Tom please…wait."_

" _Later Chloe…I just can't look at you right now."_

* * *

"Do you mind if I ask why?"

"Why we are getting a divorce?"

"Yeah, I mean you've been with him for like 15 years right?"

"Just about, I met him in my freshman year. There are a lot of reasons I guess, but the big one has always been that I just don't love him the way you're supposed to love your husband. I was just lying to myself and to everyone else for a long time and I can't do it anymore. I want a real relationship."

"Why marry him in the first place then? I mean, you didn't just realize after all this time that you don't feel that way about him."

"Truthfully Beca, he was there. He was there and he wanted me and I do love and care for him, so I married him anyway. It was easy; I could marry Tom, have a couple kids and have a good life. So I just did it, and my life has been good. I love our kids more than anything and we have had a lot of good years together."

"But not great."

"But not great."

"So you married a guy you didn't love, and I left one I didn't love at the altar. Real winners right here, no offence."

"None taken, I feel pretty awful about it to be honest. He's been so good about it too, which almost makes it worse. I wish he would yell and scream and tell me I've ruined his life or something. Instead he still holds me when I cry, and that kills me the most."

Beca didn't really know how to respond to that, she didn't know Tom and she certainly wasn't going to comment on their relationship.

* * *

"Want a lemon filled donut?" Beca broke the silence with this seemingly random question.

"What?"

"Lemon filled donuts; they're still your favourite right? I thought it might make you feel better."

"Yeah they are, I can't believe you remembered after all this time. I'd love one."

"Coming right up," Beca said, smiling wide at the red head.

"Don't forget to get yourself an apple strudel," Chloe winked.

Chloe remembered Beca's favourite too.

The conversation flowed more easily for the remainder of their time together. Beca felt more comfortable asking Chloe questions about her family now that she had shared such an intimate detail of her life. Chloe filled the silences by quizzing Beca about random details about her life and just generally helping the pair catch up. It made her strangely happy to know that Beca hadn't changed much in the ten years since they had last seen each other. She still liked a lot of the same music, she still dressed mostly the same, at least when she wasn't working and she still had the same sense of humour. It was like they could pick up where they left off, and this gave Chloe hope.

It was nearing 5:30 when Chloe finally looked down at her watch and realized they had been sitting in the café talking for over 3 hours. Chloe had meant to get back home after an hour or so but she had been so caught up in their conversation that she let time pass her by.

"Shit," Chloe said, tapping her watch furiously as if that would change the time.

"What?"

"I should really get home. I told Tom I wouldn't be that long. He probably has dinner almost ready."

Beca raised her eyebrow at the last statement, but chose not to say anything.

"I was enjoying our conversation," Beca said, genuinely disappointed.

"Well, we can continue it another time. Perhaps at a restaurant, around say 7 o'clock on Thursday night?"

"Are you asking me on a date?"

"If I am, will you say yes?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, I am asking you on a date."

"Well I'm saying yes, just text me the details."

"Will do," Chloe said, waving goodbye as she walked out the door.

She had decided at the very last minute that she wanted to ask Beca out. Well, she decided at the last minute that she was going to ask Beca out today; truthfully she had wanted to do it ten years ago. She didn't know what would happen, but she knew she wanted to find out. Chloe got in her car and pulled out of the café's lot; she felt her mind wandering to thoughts of her next meeting with Beca the whole way home. Thursday couldn't come soon enough; Chloe had been waiting over ten years for this Thursday.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I feel like I think about this story more, and make more notes about it than I actually spend time writing it. I just hope that when I actually do get the chapters written that things come across as I intended. In other words, I hope you're enjoying this story and Beca and Chloe's journey. Up until this point I've written mostly stories involving established relationships, so this is quite a bit different. As always your feedback is greatly appreciated, it really does help me to develop as a writer and figure out what is/isn't working. I love getting your comments, reviews and Tumblr messages (shesamarshmallow), so feel free to keep submitting them. For future reference this story will generally be updated every Sunday, unless for some reason I have the time to update earlier in the week or I get delayed. So look for updates on Sundays. Without further ado, here is the next chapter. Enjoy :)

Chloe was in her bedroom trying on what must have been the tenth, or was it the eleventh top that evening. She hadn't been on a date in years, and even when she was just dating Tom it had been easy. Tom never gave her butterflies, nothing like the ones in her stomach right now as she anticipated her first date with Beca. There was always a kind of safety about going out with Tom, like he loved her no matter what so it didn't matter what she did or said, she had no reason to be nervous. As much as she liked Beca, she felt anxious about this, their first real date. They had hung out plenty of times before, and in plenty of situations that most people would probably classify as a date but never as a potential couple, and not for ten years. This wasn't like showing up to Beca's dorm to watch her mix when Jesse wasn't around, or like the times Beca showed up at her apartment just to talk in between classes. This was something a lot more nerve wracking, a lot more real, this was something Chloe was willing to change her entire life for, and therefore, it needed to be perfect.

"Hey Chloe…oh sorry, I didn't realize you were changing…" Tom stumbled over his words awkwardly as he joined Chloe in the bedroom.

"It's okay, I'm done. I've exhausted my collection of nice shirts now anyway; this one will have to do."

"I've always liked that one; it brings out your eyes."

"Thanks."

"Are you going to be out late?"

"Maybe, I guess…I'm not really sure yet. We're going to dinner."

"Okay, well, just text or something if you are going to be late. Have fun."

Chloe could tell Tom had added that last part half-heartedly, but what could she expect. She knew this was hard on him, doing this to him was hard on her too. She considered cancelling a few times throughout the week. She told herself she should wait until the divorce is final, or until Tom moves out, or until she doesn't feel so incredibly awful about tearing apart their life together. That day won't be anytime soon though, and Beca is back in her life now; who knows how long she would have stayed and waited if Chloe didn't express her interest. Chloe remembers all too well how oblivious Beca seemed to her feelings the first time around. Chloe never just came out and told her how she felt, so Beca moved on. At least that's what Chloe told herself. The possibility that Beca did know and just wasn't interested back then, well, that wasn't something the red head wanted to think about. Still though, so much confusion clouded her mind when it came to Beca and their relationship. Why now, why was Beca so willing to go out with her now but never even considered her when she was making out with Jesse all those years ago? What was different now? Other than their ages Chloe was still Chloe and Beca was still Beca.

* * *

" _I'm heading out now; I'll be back later. Text me if you need anything." Aubrey had yelled this from her bedroom but stopped before reaching the front door when she saw Chloe moping on the couch._

" _Have a good time Bree, I'll see you tomorrow."_

" _What, no Beca tonight?"_

" _She's hanging out with Jesse," Chloe said, clearly annoyed by the thought of that particular Treble Maker._

" _You know, she'll never know how you feel if you don't tell her. Why don't you just ask her out?"_

" _I can't."_

" _You always say that, but you never have a good reason for not doing it."_

" _I have Tom, and she has Jesse."_

" _Right, Tom, your boyfriend. Where is he tonight anyway?"_

" _He's just out with his buddies from the baseball team."_

" _Out with the guys huh, and you're not there? Chloe you're more like a bro to him than anything else. Friends with benefits at its finest," the blonde scoffed._

_The truth in the blonde's words stung. "You just don't get it," Chloe defended._

" _I get that you want Beca but instead of being with her every night you're constantly running back into Tom's arms. What am I missing here?"_

" _He's a good guy Aubrey and we're good together."_

" _It's easier to stay with him. I get it, but Chloe, sometimes life isn't about doing what's easy."_

" _Says the girl who is about to go off on yet another date with a stuffy lawyer type," the red head raised an eyebrow as she said this._

_At this Aubrey turned back towards the front door, "see you later Chloe."_

" _Goodnight Bree."_

_They both knew the other one was right, but neither of them was willing to concede defeat. Being with Tom made sense to Chloe, the way dating men that her father may as well have picked out for her made sense to Aubrey. It was easy, it was expected and it made her at least somewhat happy, most of the time. She would be selling her relationship with Tom short if she didn't admit that she enjoyed his company, and that they had a good time together. Maybe they weren't the perfect pair, and maybe they didn't fit together like a puzzle, but they worked well enough to get by, and that was what Chloe needed right now. Trying to be with Beca meant leaving her comfort zone and as free and open as Chloe seemed, she still craved a healthy dose of security and balance in her life. She still craved the safety and peace of mind that being with Tom gave to her. Maybe Chloe just wasn't ready to take such a big leap of faith, maybe she wasn't ready to take a chance on Beca only to end up hurt. If there was one thing she could count on in life it was that Tom would never hurt her, Tom was a good guy and for now, he was her good guy._

* * *

"I'm just going to go say goodnight to the kids and then I'll be off," Chloe informed him. She knew he didn't really want to engage in any further conversation about her date.

"Okay."

As she drove towards the restaurant it began to rain hard. The water droplets pounded against the windows of her van, the wipers working overtime to keep them clear. Chloe couldn't help but wonder if this was a sign; like the universe was just like everyone else, telling her how foolish her life choices are. People just didn't understand so she avoided talking about it. Her own parents, even Aubrey couldn't help but wonder out loud why she would just decide to divorce Tom after all this time. All they saw was how happy the whole family was. Her internal struggle was something that couldn't be seen or felt by anybody else, even the people who cared about her and would try and understand if they could. Sometimes Chloe felt like the only person who did understand was Tom, but it pained her to think about what that meant. Did Tom feel so unloved and neglected by her that he couldn't help but understand why she was leaving him? She pushed that thought out of her mind when she saw the restaurant coming up on her left.

When she saw that Beca's car was already there her heart did a slight backflip. Beca had never been the most punctual person so Chloe couldn't help but feel that eagerness to see her was the culprit behind the brunette's early arrival.

"I ordered this wine, I hope you don't mind. The waiter said it was really good, and would go well with any of their specials tonight," Beca said as the red head approached the table for two.

"I don't mind at all, it looks good. I've always liked red wine."

"I uh…also got you these flowers."

Beca handed her a lovely bouquet of what Chloe couldn't help but notice were her favourite flowers. She felt a slight pang in her chest when she remembered how many times Tom had given her these flowers, but again tried to push the thoughts to the back of her mind. She wanted to enjoy this date and just not think about Tom, but she almost couldn't help it. Beca was being incredibly sweet and trying her best to make this date perfect, a trait she and Tom obviously had in common.

* * *

" _Wow…, you look incredible tonight. N…not that you don't look great all the time," Tom stumbled over his words._

" _I thought since we are going on our first official date tonight that I would wear this, I've been saving it for a special occasion."_

" _Well, I'm glad you have deemed a date with me to be a special occasion. Any time I get to hang out with you it's special."_

" _Someone's feeling cheesy tonight," Chloe smirked._

_Tom smiled sheepishly, "I got you some flowers. I uh…hope that's not too much. These are your favourite right?"_

_Chloe admired the lilies that Tom placed in her arms and took a seat at the table. The restaurant was beautiful, a Greek place just off campus that Tom thought Chloe would like. She could tell now that he paid a lot of attention to her. She had only met him a few weeks prior, but since that day they had spent countless hours together, sometimes talking, sometimes doing other things with their mouths. Chloe had never known guys to actually pay attention when she went on about the things she enjoyed, but Tom did. She mentioned one afternoon when they were laying down on the grass in the quad that she loved lilies. Another time, as Tom walked her to class Chloe was telling him how much she liked to try different types of food and that Greek was her current favourite. When she looked up at him she even noticed he was wearing a bright green shirt, and must have remembered the day Chloe raved about how great he looked in green. Tom paid attention to all the little details, he wanted to make this night special for her and so far, he was doing an excellent job._

" _I know we've already kissed," Tom started as they stood in the door way of Chloe's dorm room after their night out, "but I'm still kind of nervous about this one."_

_Before he could continue Chloe leaned forward and closed the gap between them. She pressed her lips to his, smiling internally as he melted into the kiss, returning her warmth and exuberance._

" _How was that?" she asked, arms still wrapped around the back of his neck._

" _Perfect, kind of like you."_

* * *

"Hey," Beca's words immediately pulled Chloe out of her trance like state. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm fine. I was just thinking. These flowers are beautiful, my favourite kind actually."

"I know, I remembered seeing them in your apartment all the time back at Barden."

"Right…yeah, I uh…I did keep them around a lot didn't it."

The flowers Tom always gave her, not that she would ever tell Beca that.

When Chloe managed to get her head space back to the present the conversation began to flow effortlessly as it had the other day at the coffee shop. Beca talked about her work, and her activities. Naturally she was still into music and mixing, but she also apparently had a penchant for hiking which Chloe never would have guessed. The Beca of Barden University was never the outdoorsy activity type, but a lot can change in ten years. Maybe Jesse got her into hiking, who knew. Beca didn't elaborate on the beginnings of her interest; she just talked about the trails she liked best in the area and at one point offered to take Chloe on a hike. Beca, who was normally reserved and quiet Chloe noticed was actually doing a lot of the talking. Chloe realized it was probably because she was trying to avoid any awkward silence and could sense Chloe's uncharacteristic unwillingness to speak up.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're not your usual chatty self."

"I'm fine really, I'm just listening. It's nice to hear you talk about your interests. You're cute when you're passionate."

Beca blushed. It wasn't unlike Chloe to compliment her, but it just hadn't happened like that in so long. The cherry red colour that crept up Beca's cheeks somehow worked to ease Chloe's mind. It was like old times now. Chloe was now just enjoying the company of the cute, slightly embarrassed brunette.

"Fair enough. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, anything."

"Why now?" Beca blurted out the question that had been plaguing her mind since Chloe had asked her out.

"Why now what?"

"Why did you ask me out now?"

"Because I wanted to go out with you, duh."

"All of the sudden?" Beca raised an eyebrow.

"All of the sudden, for the last ten years, does it matter?"

"Not really. I guess I'm just kind of wondering why you didn't do it back then, I mean, if you wanted to."

Chloe considered the question for a moment. She was enjoying their date, she wasn't sure she wanted to know what would happen if she answered honestly. Bringing up the past might mean nothing, but it might change the dynamic, or alter Beca's feelings. She figured it was too late now to go back though, she had already admitted that she had wanted to go out with Beca for a long time.

"You kissed Jesse," Chloe mumbled, it was barely audible. "You kissed Jesse and you seemed happy. I wanted you to be happy. I figured you kissed him because you wanted to and if you wanted to kiss me, you could have done that instead."

Beca thought about Chloe's revelation before she came up with her response. It was true, Beca had been the one to kiss Jesse, even after all the time she had spent getting close with the red head. It was done in the heat of the moment, though at the time it was what she wanted, or at least what she thought she wanted. Jesse was there, and being with Jesse with nice, he was a good guy, and then it hit her.

"You were with Tom. I guess we thought along the same lines because I figured you were with Tom because you wanted to be and if you wanted to be with me, you would have been with me and not Tom. Tom was your good guy Chloe and Jesse was mine and maybe we both just wanted to take the easy road, you know, because it seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"I guess so. We're here now though, together, can we just focus on that?"

"I'd like that."

* * *

The women ate their dinner largely in comfortable silence. Chloe had always liked the way Beca ate, as odd as it was. The brunette played with her food and thought about it entirely too much before actually eating it. She swirled the pasta around on her fork, popping another mouthful in. Chloe laughed and received a curious glance in return.

"Something funny?" Beca asked, her tone playful.

"Nothing, it's just, you're really cute."

The butterflies were back. All the nervous yet wonderful feelings Chloe got when she was around the brunette were back. She was thankful really, her earlier distractions and hang ups had disappeared for the moment and she was able to just enjoy Beca's company.

"Well, I'm glad you think so. It always irritated my parents that I played with my food so much."

"Nothing about you irritates me," Chloe smiled.

* * *

The sky was still dark but the rain had long since stopped when Chloe and Beca made their way back to the restaurant's parking lot. Chloe had let Beca pay for their dinner when it became clear that the brunette was not going to relent. Next time, Chloe had promised, and the glint in Beca's eye told her that she was excited about the possibility of a next time.

"I had a nice time," Beca spoke up as the two women stood next to Beca's car.

"Me too. I have to admit I was nervous about going on a date again after being married for so long, but it felt good."

Beca tried not to visibly cringe at the mention of Chloe's marriage. After tonight she couldn't help but think about how different things might be today if both of them had just had more guts back in the day. What if Beca hadn't kissed Jesse and taken the opportunity to kiss the red head any of the time she had the chance instead. Or if she had at least told Jesse after the first kiss that maybe she wasn't nearly as interested in him as she had let on. If she had just taken a chance maybe this wouldn't be her first date with Chloe, maybe she would be looking forward to their tenth anniversary instead of their second date. The thoughts crossed Beca's mind like rapid fire, and Chloe couldn't help but notice the consternation on the brunette's face.

"It's okay you know, that things turned out this way. Maybe there's a reason we are only on our first date."

"Maybe," Beca agreed, still unsure what that reason could be. The notion that the universe may have wanted them both to spend so many years apart, and with people they never really loved the way they should have seemed odd to her. Chloe had this way of comforting her though, even with words that shouldn't be comforting, or that she can't make sense of.

"In any case, I can't wait for our second date…I mean, if you want to go on a second date that is."

There was the uncertainly that Beca could relate to, the hint of nervousness in Chloe's voice that made her realize that they were feeling the exact same way. She had been fighting the butterflies in her stomach all night, and now she knew that Chloe probably had been too.

"I would love to go on a second date with you. Do you want to maybe come over to my place one night? I could cook you dinner."

Chloe resisted the urge to snort out loud at the idea of Beca making dinner. A lot had obviously changed in ten years.

"That would be nice. I'll figure out a good night and let you know."

"Sounds good," Beca agreed.

The women stood there awkwardly for a moment, both unsure exactly how to end this date. They wanted to kiss each other, they did, but there was still that uncertainly lingering in the air. Was it too soon? Does she want me to? Maybe we should wait. All of these things crossed both of their minds. Wanting to break the tension Chloe settled on leaning in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around Beca's tiny frame and breathed a sigh of relief when Beca's body relaxed into her embrace. She felt Beca's arms snake around her waist and was surprised by the feeling of soft lips touching her own. For a moment she was leaning in deeper into their embrace, enjoying the melting together of their lips. Second later though she tore herself away, the reality of her situation hitting her unpleasantly in a moment she had previously been enjoying. Technically she was still married and in this moment this was a glaring technicality Chloe's brain was seemingly unwilling to ignore. She needed to get home, to her kids, to Tom, to her life, a life that for the past ten years had been uncomplicated and void of any of the feelings swirling through her brain and tugging at her heart right now. She needed to get out of there, so she did. Chloe bolted back to her car and left the parking lot without another word.

Beca was left standing in the parking lot, questioning everything that had happened that night. Things had been going so well. In that moment she could have kicked herself for kissing Chloe. Obviously it was too soon. Whatever she had done, she hoped that she could fix it, but that would have to wait. She would wait a while and text the other woman in hopes that they were still on for that second date. For now though, Beca was left wondering, just as she had been for years. She was back at square one, back in a place where everything between her and Chloe was new, fresh and exciting but also uncertain, and uncomfortably so. Beca hated uncertainties; she hated the lack of assurance and safety. It was why she had lived her life the way she had up until now, but also why she couldn't continue on in that manner. Beca wanted to start actually living her life, not sleepwalk through it like she felt like she had been doing for so long. It was time to take a leap of faith; she just hoped that Chloe would be ready to take it with her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: When I started I intended to tell this story largely from Beca's perspective. Things have changed though and as the story as developed it has become a lot more about Chloe's perspective. I think this will make for a better, more interesting story or at least I hope it will. To everyone who has been following and reading, thank you. As always your feedback in the form of comments, reviews and Tumblr messages (shesamarshmallow) is greatly appreciated. I'd love to know your thoughts on this story as it develops. It really does help me to grow as a writer and find out what is or is not working for any given story. So I definitely appreciate any readers who let me know what's on their mind. Without further ado, here is your next chapter. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.

"It has been 4 days and she hasn't called Bree," Chloe lamented as she sat in their favourite café sipping a latte.

"She kissed you and you bolted. Maybe she has the impression that oh, I don't know, you aren't interested. Do you blame her?" As Aubrey suggested this, her best friend was thankful that she could always count on her for a fair an accurate assessment of any given situation.

"Should I call her?"

"Yes, I mean, if you want to see her again. Just call her and explain. She doesn't get all of your complicated crap with Tom; she probably needs some reassurance that you actually do want a relationship with her. That is what you want right?"

"Of course, that's what I have wanted for the last ten years Aubrey. To be with someone that makes me feel the way Beca does, someone who I know I could be madly in love with; to be with Beca."

"Then call her and hope she's still up for that second date."

Aubrey was right when she said that Beca didn't understand any of her complicated crap with Tom. All Chloe had really told her was that she wasn't in love with him. She knew Beca understood what she meant when she said that. She knew that Beca had that person too and more so than anyone she understood what it was like being in that kind of relationship. With Tom and Chloe though, there were just so many more complications than with Beca and Jesse. Tom was Chloe's best friend, and someone she loved more than anything in the world, even if it wasn't romantically. Beca didn't have that with Jesse, she cared for Jesse and they were friends before dating, but Jesse wasn't that one person that Beca always relied on. He wasn't her shoulder to cry or her confidant. That had always been Chloe for Beca, until it wasn't and then it was no one.

Tom was that person for Chloe though, and he remained as such even through everything that was going on with them now. Chloe's connection and relationship with Tom had always run far too deep for things to be anything less than a tangled web of complications. He's her best friend, the father of her children, and the person who knows everything that makes her tick, that makes her happy, that makes her cry, and what makes Chloe who she is. Tom is in Chloe's life for better or for worse, and that makes trying to be with Beca no matter how much she wants to be that much more complex. All of that also makes Chloe's relationship with Tom that much harder for Beca, or anyone really to understand. So even if Beca gets why she can no longer be with Tom romantically, she'll probably never understand everything underneath the surface of that.

* * *

" _So you grew up in Georgia, but you hate peaches, you dreamed of playing major league baseball when you were a kid, you love mint ice cream, and you didn't learn to ride a bike until you were 10. These are your deepest, darkest secrets Tom Riley?"_

" _Yes, yes they are," he smiled, pressing a kiss to Chloe's temple as she lay next to him on the blanket._

_Picnics had kind of become their thing. Chloe would spread out a blanket on a patch of grass and they would just lie down and talk. Occasionally she would think to actually bring sandwiches and snacks and make it a legitimate picnic, but mostly they just enjoyed each other's company. When they had exhausted their list of topics for the day they would usually just end up falling asleep under the warm glow of the Georgia sun, or if the mood struck they would use their mouths for other things. Chloe had never been one to shy away from public displays of affection, so making out with Tom in the middle of the quad for all to see didn't exactly faze her. Tom didn't care much either, he didn't really even notice the rest of the world when he was with Chloe._

" _Well aren't you just the cutest then." Chloe kissed Tom square on the lips._

" _Now Red, tell me your secrets."_

_Chloe thought for a moment before obliging him. "Well, I grew up in Florida but my parents never actually took me to any of the amusement parks. They said they were for tourists. They took me on other vacations around the state, and to other states. I didn't really get it when I was a kid, but I appreciate it more now, we saw some really beautiful places. I don't like mint ice cream, so I guess you'll get to have all the mint ice cream in our house all to yourself. Oh and I broke my foot when I was 7 climbing down from a tree, or rather I fell out of a tree that I climbed up into."_

" _Our house huh?" That was what had stuck out to Tom from everything that Chloe had said._

_Chloe chuckled lightly, "yeah, I guess at some point in the future we might want to live in the same place."_

" _That would be nice, and I would gladly eat all of the horrible mint ice cream for you. I'll even buy you, hmmm; I'm guessing strawberry to replace it."_

" _How did you know my favourite flavour?"_

" _You're easy to read…and besides, you're wearing strawberry scented body spray. It wasn't exactly a shot in the dark."_

" _It's settled then, we will buy a house and stock it with strawberry and mint ice cream. Our kids will just have to pick sides."_

_Tom smiled at the mention of their future kids, pressing another sweet kiss to the side of his girlfriend's head._

" _That sounds perfect."_

* * *

Beca's phone rang and rang in her pocket. She was busy with a client at the moment, but she was sort of dying to know who just wouldn't stop calling her. Of course she hoped it was Chloe. After the disheartening end to their first date she had been hoping against hope that she would hear from the other woman soon. She wanted to text her or to call her herself, but after the way Chloe ran off Beca just couldn't muster up the courage to do it. What if Chloe had realized she made a big mistake and didn't actually want to date her? What if the kiss had been so awful that Chloe realized what an idiot she was for even thinking her and Beca could have something between them? All these unanswered questions spiralled through the brunette's brain and rendered her unable to dial Chloe's number. At least if Chloe was calling her she knew it was probably because she wanted to see her again, at least that's what she hoped it meant.

When she finished with her client 20 minutes later she pulled her phone out of her pocket to see 5 missed calls. Thankfully it had been on vibrate the whole time and her client wasn't aware that someone was desperately trying to reach her. It was moments like this when Beca wished she wasn't too cheap to spring for Caller-ID on her cellphone. She had 5 missed calls she hoped were for Chloe, but she had no real way of knowing for sure. She couldn't call her back and end up potentially looking like a fool if it hadn't been Chloe who called her. Still though, she wanted to talk to her. Just as Beca mustered up the courage to give the woman what would hopefully be a call back her phone began to ring again. Beca fumbled with the screen trying to slide her finger in the direction that would answer the damn thing, but her nerves got the better of her. She had hung it up on whoever it was. Beca rolled her eyes at herself, get it together Mitchell.

Beca took a deep breath before tapping the call button next to Chloe's name. She didn't want to face the possible rejection, but she knew if she didn't do this she would regret it.

"Hey Beca," she could hear the bubbly red head's voice come through her speaker, Chloe apparently did have Caller-ID.

"Hi…umm, were you trying to call me? I mean I'm kind of a spaz and I think I may have just hung up on you." Beca apologized, hoping she was apologizing to the right person.

"I was and you did, but it's all good. I uh…wanted to talk to you about our second date. Assuming that is that you still want to go out with me after I ran away at the end of the first one. I guess I wouldn't blame you if you've changed your mind about me."

"I haven't, and I would love to go on that second date. Was there anything you had in mind?"

"Well, my house will be empty this weekend. Tom is taking the kids to his parent's house for some kind of family party. I figured it was best if I didn't go. His parents know we're getting a divorce anyway; it will be less awkward this way. Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could order take out or I could cook for you and we could talk, watch movies and just get to know each other again."

"That would be nice. I'll can be there Saturday around 4, how does that sound?"

"Great, see you then. And Beca, I really am sorry about the other night. I just…" Chloe's voice trailed off, she didn't really know what she wanted to say after that.

"It's okay. I get it. I'll see you Saturday."

Beca had a wide grin plastered across her face when she hung up the phone. She was relieved to know that Chloe still wanted to see her, and that whatever had happened the other night was just a momentary lapse on Chloe's part. It was Wednesday and while Beca was never one to wish away time, and she loved her work she couldn't help but wish that Saturday would come sooner. She wanted to see Chloe again, to talk to her again, and to just spend time with her. They had missed so many years already that every day they weren't together felt like more wasted time, at least for Beca. She knew Chloe's situation was different, it was busy and messy and complicated and it must also be so conflicting for the red head.

They haven't talked much more about them but Beca can tell that she loves her kids, and Tom, at least in the way that you'll always love the person you have kids with. She wonders briefly if this is what had Chloe all riled up the other night. It must be hard, even knowing that you're splitting from your husband to move on when you've got a family like that, and a life that you do generally enjoy. It crosses her mind that maybe Chloe thinks involving Beca in her life will make things even more complicated, and if she really thinks about it, it will. She tries hard though to shove those thoughts to the back of her mind, there's no sense dwelling on them and letting them make her crazy, especially when she doesn't know for sure. She just needs to wait for Saturday, when she sees Chloe she knows that it will give her the peace of mind to know they are doing the right thing. Everything that Chloe makes her feel has to be the right thing, there's nothing about it that makes Beca feel anything less than extremely happy. Anything that makes a person as happy as Chloe makes Beca is definitely the right thing.

* * *

"Have fun with daddy," Chloe says, placing a kiss a top Alyson's tiny head.

"We will," Adrienne reassures her.

"And we will call you every night to say goodnight, right dad?" Adley confirms with his father.

"Right bud; we will check in with mama, like always."

Chloe was glad her children weren't asking a million questions about why she wasn't going with them. They had always gone to any family gatherings for Tom's family or her own all together. This was the first time she wouldn't be joining them at the Riley's house. Tom told her that he just told them it was going to be a fun trip, just for dad to spend some time with them and that they would go with just mom on a trip somewhere some other time. Special bonding time he called it. They seemed to accept this explanation about Tom wanting some father/children bonding time just fine, and Chloe was happy about that. They were well on their way to being officially divorced but neither of them had found the right words to explain things to their children yet.

They were still living together, still almost every bit as much a family as they were before, but Tom slept on the couch these days. That was the only noticeable change, at least for the kids. They tried their best to have discussions and fights in hushed tones, keeping their problems between the two of them. They also did everything in their power to be civil towards one another, even when they were hurting. It was their goal to make this split as amicable and friendly as possible; after all, they were still best friends. Tom even told Chloe that after all was said and done he didn't want that aspect of their relationship to change more than was absolutely necessary.

In all their years together it was their close friendship more so than anything that he loved. Having Chloe as a friend brightened his world, and even if he could no longer be married to her, he certainly still wanted to be her friend. It helped that they wanted to stay close for the kids. It was never Chloe's intention to rip her family apart, just to sever any romantic ties with Tom. So this arrangement for the time being worked for them. They knew they would eventually have to explain and Tom was going to move out, but for now, they were avoiding those particular details. Chloe figured if they could be technically split up and still be okay with being around one another things were going to be fine. She just didn't want to test that theory, not just yet.

* * *

" _You tell me that you don't love me and that you can't be married to me anymore and then you cry on my shoulder when you're upset. Make up your damn mind Chloe, what do you want from me?" Tears streamed down Tom's face as he yelled._

_He was upset and understandably so. It was mere weeks after Chloe told him that she wanted a divorce, and the tension in the household was high. Luckily the kids were with their grandparents and the house was empty. Tom's anguished yells echoed off the walls of their house. Chloe sat on the couch, tears of her own falling from her bright blue eyes. She never wanted to hurt him this bad. She knew that a lot of what she'd done in the last ten years had caused this, but she never wanted it to end like this. Why was she so selfish? Why did she marry him anyway when she knew she would never love him the way she should? Why did she start a family with him, if it wasn't really him that she wanted to have a life with? Why did she take the easy road? Chloe asked herself these questions on a daily basis, and she was sure her husband was thinking along the same lines._

" _Tom," Chloe sniffed, exhaling sharply before continuing. "I do love you, more than anything. You are my best friend and I am so sorry for this. Everything you're feeling right now is my fault and I can't even begin to explain to you how sorry I am. It's just, I still need you and I know that's not fair for me to say, but it's the truth. I cry on your shoulder because you're the person who has always been able to make me feel better. You care so much, and I feel safe with you."_

_Tom wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve. His expression softened considerably at Chloe's words. The anger that had filled his eyes just seconds prior was replaced with what Chloe knew to be love; the love that Tom showed her each and every day, without fail._

" _I'm sorry I yelled at you."_

" _Don't be, I deserve it."_

" _You don't."_

" _I'm hurting you."_

" _Chloe, we've been hurting ourselves for years continuing this. I act like I don't know how things have been when I knew exactly what you meant when you said you had to stop living a lie."_

" _What are we going to do?"_

" _Right now, we're just going to sit here and watch a movie. Titanic, for the hundredth time maybe; I think we could both use a good cry. Honestly though, I still don't understand why they didn't just share the damn door."_

_Chloe laughed, "Yeah, let's do that."_

_She laid her head down on Tom's shoulder, assuming their usual movie watching positions on the couch. For now they were just going to do what they had been doing for years, ignoring reality and just taking solace in each other's company. That was something they knew how to do, which made it easy. The rest of it, well, they could deal with that later. Now they were just going to watch somebody else's pain because that was just easier than dealing with their own._

* * *

"Bye babies," Chloe said, giving her children one last group hug as they walked out their door, carrying their backpacks as luggage for the weekend.

"See you on Sunday night mom," Adrienne called back, shutting the door behind them.

Chloe slumped down on the couch in her living room. It was Friday night and she wouldn't be seeing Beca until the next afternoon. She had never been good at being alone. Chloe liked to have people she cared about around her at all times. That was what made Tom's presence in her life so comforting, even now. Even just doing the things she loved like watching a movie or reading a book weren't the same without someone else's company. Knowing Aubrey was at home enjoying time with her own youngsters and that she shouldn't disturb her Chloe eventually accepted the idea that this would be a lonely Friday night. If she was going to be alone though, at the very least she was going to think about her plans for her date the next evening. As she laid her head down on the arm rest and closed her eyes, thoughts of the brunette easily invaded her mind. One more day Chloe thought to herself as images of Beca's smile teased her retinas. One…yawn...more…day….


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I almost forgot how much I have been missing writing fluffy Bechloe interaction, I haven't written it in so long, too long really. In this chapter they finally get to go on another date, I do hope you'll enjoy it. I just want to give a big thank you again to everyone who has been reading and following this story. Thank you for your patience with the updates, I would love to update more often but sadly there's only so much time in a week. As always your feedback is greatly appreciated so I would love to hear your thoughts on this story whether you leave a review or comment, or send me a Tumblr message (shesamarshmallow). It helps as a writer to find out what you're doing well or not so well, and it helps to write future chapters to hear the reader's thoughts on a story. So thank you if you do leave feedback, it is much appreciated.

Chloe ran her fingers through her red curls once more as she stood in front of the mirror staring. She had been getting ready for her date for over an hour and a half. First she had to pick out the right shirt; one that was a dark shade of purple, Beca's favourite colour. After that she debated between jeans or a pair of slacks, either could go with her top but Beca would probably be dressed more casual so jeans won out. Next she had to accessorize perfectly; the necklace Beca had given her for her birthday back at Barden hung from her neck. It was a beautiful butterfly on a silver chain, colourful jewels shining from the corners of its wings. Chloe still remembered the birthday she had received it; after a big bash thrown by the Bellas Chloe found herself sitting down on the bed in Beca's dorm room.

* * *

" _I almost forgot, I got you a gift," Beca revealed excitedly, ruffling through her top drawer._

" _You didn't have to do that Becs, being friends with you is gift enough."_

" _You're really cheesy when you're drunk aren't you?" the brunette teased her friend._

" _I'm not drunk actually; I like to stay sober on my birthdays so I'll always remember how awesome my friends are."_

_Beca chuckled lightly, of course Chloe would think that way. She thought back to the evening's events and realized that she actually had only seen Chloe with one drink all night. Perhaps she had assumed in her own slightly inebriated state that the red head had gotten refills, but maybe it was just the same glass all night long. Looking at the red head now she was well aware of her surroundings and wasn't slurring her words. At least one of them had a clear mind._

" _Uh…well, here it is," Beca said finally, placing a small gift bag in her friend's hands._

_Chloe pulled out the piece of tissue paper and took the gift in her hand. She flipped the shiny silver piece over and over in her palm._

" _How did you know I love butterflies?"_

" _Lucky guess?" Beca tried, knowing it probably wouldn't fly. Chloe smiled at her and waited for her real answer._

" _Actually, I asked Aubrey…and Tom," the brunette hesitated before adding the second name. She had felt slightly awkward about asking the redhead's boyfriend for birthday gift tips, but had done it anyway wanting to get her friend something she'd really love._

" _Tom and I went to a butterfly conservatory on one of our first dates," she explained, "they were all so gorgeous."_

" _He's good to you isn't he?"_

" _Very good," Chloe smiled, in that instant pulling away from their slightly too close for comfort position on the younger girl's bed._

" _Well," Beca coughed, changing the subject, "I hope you like the necklace."_

" _I do, it's lovely. Thank you Beca."_

" _Happy Birthday Chloe."_

_Chloe slipped the butterfly necklace around her neck, still admiring the way it glistened even in the dimly lit bedroom._

* * *

Chloe swore when she heard a knock at the door just as she finished adjusting her outfit. She had been hoping to start on dinner before Beca's arrival so that they could sit in the living room together as it cooked. Chloe made her way to the front door of her house smiling wide as she opened it to reveal her date. There stood Beca in, as Chloe had predicted a pair of jeans and a green top; Chloe's favourite colour. Beca smiled back at her and held out the bottle of wine she had brought. Chloe read the label as Beca handed it to her; another one of her favourites. They stood there for a few more moments, Beca staring at the red head expectantly.

"May I come in?" Beca asked, grinning.

"Oh…uh yeah, please come in," Chloe moved out of the way for her date.

"So," Beca took a deep breath, "I don't know what you had planned for dinner but I hope the wine will go with it. I know it's your favourite."

"It is, and I think it will go well with the pasta I am going to cook for you."

"Great. Do you want some help making dinner? I'm not great in the kitchen but I bet I could stir really well or something."

"No, no. I want to cook for you. You could sit at the island though; I would love some company while I cook."

"Gladly," Beca smiled, following the red head into the kitchen.

As they walked through the house Beca couldn't help but glance around. The place was big, but not too big that it was like a stark mansion. It was perfect really, very homey. When they reached the kitchen towards the back of the house she could see out into the backyard. Beca could see that the yard was home to a swing set and a slide in the back corner, as well as the half-finished tree house Chloe had mentioned that Tom was building.

"Your house is gorgeous," the brunette remarked.

"Thanks," Chloe wasn't sure what else to say to that.

"So, you've lived here for a while?"

"Almost 9 years. It's near Tom's parents place and the kid's school, it's nice."

Beca watched as Chloe prepared their meal. It was interesting to see her friend being all domestic. Beca had never known the woman to cook in their years at Barden, but time changes so much. One husband and three kids later and Beca figured the red head learned to cook out of necessity. The brunette admired how adorable the other woman looked in the pink tea pot apron she was sporting. She watched as she stirred and watched and checked on their meal. She was sure the intention had been for the two of them to talk as Chloe cooked, but she was so focused that Beca hated to distract her.

"I can set the table," Beca spoke up when she could tell things were almost ready.

"Already done," Chloe said, gesturing towards the dining room. "I'll meet you in there, go ahead."

* * *

As Beca walked into the room she could see that two places across from each other had been set at the large table. There were also some candles laid out, just begging to be lit. Beca picked up the matches off the red tablecloth and lit the candles, dimming the lights in the room to complete the effect. She stood waiting for Chloe to join her. When the red head turned the corner and entered the room finally she laid down two plates on the table.

"M'lady," Beca said smiling, pulling out Chloe's chair for her.

"Why thank you, you're so sweet. I hope you like it, I know you like pasta so I figured it was a good choice. I just wasn't sure if you'd enjoy the mushrooms and zucchini."

"I like mushrooms and zucchini," Beca reassured her, "and this looks delicious. Thank you."

The women sat and talked as they enjoyed what did turn out to be a delicious meal cooked by Chloe. They found themselves doing a lot of reminiscing which Beca was thankful kept the conversation flowing smoothly. When they talked about their time at Barden, or any of the good times they had together there were no awkward silences. As they talked and ate Beca found out that Chloe knew quite a bit more than she had previously revealed about their former friends from the Bellas. She had obviously had quite a bit of contact with them all over the years, not just her best friend Aubrey. Beca's mind wandered as she was filled in about all of the goings on in Stacie's life to a place she wasn't sure she wanted it to go. Why had Chloe kept in touch with every other Bella and not her? The question was on the tip of her tongue, but before she could ask it Chloe answered it for her.

"I wanted us to be more than friends back then."

Beca was almost stunned by the sudden revelation, her mind stuck and unwilling to let her join the conversation just yet.

"I liked you, or really if I'm being truthful I loved you and I wanted to go out with you. You were with Jesse though and I was with Tom. When I graduated and moved away I still wanted to be with you. I regretted not telling you every day. Eventually it just became too hard, too painful to keep in touch. Tom wanted to move forward with our relationship, and that was easy. I just couldn't marry him and still try and be friends with you when I knew I wanted to be your everything, not just your friend."

Beca stared as Chloe wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For kissing Jesse when I should have kissed you. I guess on some level I always knew that there was, or there could be something between us but I ignored it. Maybe if I kissed you we wouldn't have missed so much time together."

Chloe reached her hand across the table and took the brunette's hand in hers, looking deep into her steel blue eyes.

"We are together now, that's all that matters."

Beca smiled at Chloe, returning the reassuring squeeze Chloe had given her hand moments earlier.

"Yeah, we are together now."

"How about I do these dishes and then we can go sit in the living room. Do you still hate movies?"

"I do, very much so. I'm probably behind though; I've only watched maybe 3 movies total in the years since I left Jesse. Whatever you want to watch is fine with me though."

* * *

Beca helped Chloe carry their dishes back into the kitchen. She dried them as the red head insisted on doing the washing herself. As she dried each dish Beca awkwardly looked around for the proper cupboard to place the item in. Chloe just laughed, offering no help as Beca looked incredibly cute trying to put everything in its proper place. With just the two of them there weren't many dishes to do and soon enough the kitchen was back to its former pristine state. As Chloe turned to lead the two of them into her living room she couldn't help but notice that Beca was laughing at her.

"What?" Chloe said almost defensively, quirking her eyebrow.

"Nothing," Beca snickered lightly.

"Obviously you find something very amusing, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to force it out of you?" Chloe said playfully.

Beca was still silent, but now she was curious about Chloe's intentions.

"Fine, have it your way," Chloe warned, smiling all the while.

The red head wrapped her arms around Beca, leaning in slightly and then catching Beca off guard. Beca shrieked as Chloe's hands trailed along her abdomen, tickling her mercilessly.

"Stop…stop..." Beca pleaded breathlessly between giggles, "I'll tell you."

"I told you I could force it out of you," Chloe smirked.

"You just have some soap bubbles on your nose," Beca informed her, reaching a hand up to wipe the bubbles away gently.

"Well thank you. You have something on your nose too though."

"What's that?" Beca asked curiously.

It was then that Chloe leaned forward to give Beca a peck on the nose.

"Nothing, I just wanted an excuse to kiss you."

"You could have just done it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

In the blink of an eye Beca caught Chloe off guard this time, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Relief washed over her when the red head smiled as she pulled away, a much better reaction than the first time Beca had kissed her.

"Aren't we brave these days? No excuses necessary."

"I just want to stop wasting time and do the things in life that I really want to be doing."

"Like kissing me?"

"Like kissing you," Beca confirmed.

* * *

Chloe took Beca's hand in hers and lead them finally to the living room. As the brunette sat down on the couch Chloe moved towards the shelf containing all of her DVDs. She was sure neither of them really cared what movie she put on as long as they were together, but still she considered her choices. She could put on a cheesy chick flick and hope Beca would at least find it amusing, or she could put on a drama but she wasn't sure she could pay a film like that the attention it needed tonight. Definitely a chick flick Chloe thought pulling out a DVD case from the shelf and popping the disc in her player.

"This one is pretty funny," Chloe informed her date, putting an arm around the brunette as they settled in and got comfortable on the couch.

As the two women sat and watched Chloe found herself having to resist the urge to watch Beca more than the movie. She smiled when she saw that Beca was actually laughing and seemed to be enjoying her choice. Half way through the movie she found her fingers twisting around and playing with Beca's hair.

"Enjoying yourself?" Beca inquired, turning away from the television to address the red head.

"I am, how about you?"

"I am too, this movie isn't so bad and the company is great. Who knew a movie date could actually be so enjoyable?"

Beca adjusted her head slightly, moving in closer to the red head, kissing her jaw gently. "This is nice."

As they settled back down, watching the movie once more Chloe rested her head on Beca's shoulder. The closeness they shared in the moment comforted both women. It felt right just to lay there with Beca in peace, just enjoying one another's company. Moments later though the two were jarred from their comfortable silence by the incessant ringing of Chloe's cell phone.

"Sorry," Chloe said mildly irritated, "I have to take this, it's Tom."

* * *

Chloe grabbed her phone and made her way out into the hall way to take the call. She supposed she could have just answered in the living room, but she didn't want to do anything that would make the brunette uncomfortable.

"Hi Tom, what's up?"

Chloe's question was met with a sigh, and she could tell something was wrong by the crying she could hear clearly in the background.

"Alyson won't stop crying, she wants you. Can you talk to her?"

"Of course, give her the phone."

All Chloe heard when Tom passed over the phone was sniffing and whimpering in the receiver.

"Aly baby, it's mama, what's wrong?"

"I…sniff…I miss…sniff…you. I…sniff…I want to see you," that was all the little girl managed to get out before she started wailing loudly again.

"Aww baby girl I'm right here, do you want me to sing to you?"

Aly shook her head, she was only four and it probably just slipped her mind that her mother couldn't see her reaction.

"I want a hug," the child cried into the phone. Tom had been trying in vain to calm her down with hugs for over an hour but nothing would work, she just wanted her mother.

"Okay baby, can you give the phone back to daddy?"

Aly handed her father back his cellphone and Chloe could hear that her daughter was still whimpering lightly in the background. Her heart broke for her little girl and she hated that she wasn't there to calm her down.

"I'm going to come and get her and bring her home. The party was this afternoon right?"

"Yeah the party is over. Aren't you on a date though?"

"Don't worry about that. I will come and get Aly and bring her home and you, Adley and Adrienne can stay for the rest of your visit."

"Thanks Chloe, we'll meet you out front in twenty minutes."

As Chloe had mentioned to Beca earlier they lived fairly close to Tom's parent's house. She could be over there in less than half an hour to get her daughter.

"Hey, I'm back. Sorry about that."

"Is everything okay?" Beca could see by the look in Chloe's eyes that she was concerned.

"Aly is just a little upset is all, she misses me. I'm going to go over there and pick her up. Tom, Adley and Adrienne are going to stay for the rest of the weekend."

"Oh okay," Beca said, hiding her disappointment that their date was about to be cut short. "Well, I had a nice time tonight."

"You could stay you know. I won't be long picking her up and I'll be putting her to bed shortly after we get back. We could watch another movie."

"I'd love to, but I shouldn't," Beca stood now and moved toward the redhead who stood in the doorway. "Go get Aly and hang out with her tonight. We will see each other again, I promise."

"Well, as long as you promise," Chloe started, leaning in close and closing the gap between her and Beca. Chloe pressed her lips to Beca's gently before throwing her arms around the brunette's neck, pulling her in and deepening their embrace.

"How does a date on Friday night sound?" Beca asked, almost out of breath after the intense kiss they had just shared.

"Friday night is good. Was there anything in particular you wanted to do?"

"There's actually a really good local band playing a set at a bar downtown, I was hoping you would like to join me."

"I'd love to."

"It's a date then."

* * *

With the plans for their next date set Beca reluctantly made her way to the front door, Chloe right behind her. As they walked towards their respective cars neither of them actually wanted the date to end, but both of them knew it had to. Chloe really needed to get over to Tom's parent's house before it was too late, and she wanted to make sure Aly was okay. Beca knew it was too soon for her to be meeting any of Chloe's kids. She had enjoyed their night together and was very much looking forward to Friday night but that she just wasn't ready for. She was just starting to get to know Chloe all over again, everything that came with that, getting to know Chloe's family and her life now would come later. Both women knew that was how it needed to be, even if neither of them would say it out loud. They needed to be completely reacquainted first, they needed to be sure that this was it for them; and both of them hoped it was.

Chloe gave Beca a peck on the cheek and wished her a good night before getting into her car and watching in the rear view mirror as Beca drove away from her house. Chloe could feel the very familiar feeling of butterflies in her stomach as she thought about their wonderful night together and the next night they would see each other. Her relationship with Beca made her feel nervous but ecstatic at the same time, the feeling was slightly overwhelming yet oddly perfect. She had waited so long to feel this way again, the way she felt whenever she was around Beca in University; now that the feeling had returned, she didn't want to let it go. Chloe turned on the stereo in the car as she pulled out of her drive way on her way to the Riley's house. She laughed before beginning to sing along with the lyrics to "I Saw The Sign," Aubrey must have left her Ace of Base CD in Chloe's car again. It was amazing that after so much time the two of them still listened to it so often, there were just so many memories attached to it. So many good memories that Chloe could only hope they would be adding to soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I feel like I should apologize in advance if this breaks your heart, it definitely hurt mine to write it. This is a bit of fluff mixed with a fair amount of angst. I'm really starting to get a handle on where this story is going and how I want things to progress for all of the characters. Of course I hope you'll enjoy this update and what I have in store for the future. As always I really appreciate it when you take the time to leave feedback, it does help me to improve as a writer. So if you leave a review or comment or send me a Tumblr message (shesamarshmallow) you are awesome. Everyone who has been following this story is just really awesome in general, so enjoy!

Chloe watched as Tom packed the last of his belongings into cardboard boxes and sealed them up. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart watching as he dropped baseball gloves, photo frames and CDs into the boxes along with his clothes. He didn't fill very many boxes really as most of the stuff in their house was Chloe's or the kids' or theirs rather than just his. She had known this day was coming; she just hadn't really prepared herself for it before now. It had been a year since she told him she no longer wanted to be married and a few months since she officially filed for divorce. Most couples splitting up wouldn't still be living together after all this time but Chloe and Tom weren't like most couples. As he sealed the last box Tom turned around giving her a sad smile as he carried it to the porch. The small moving truck he rented wouldn't show up until tomorrow but Tom wanted to have everything ready to go. He just wanted to enjoy his last day living at home with Chloe and their kids, as much as one could enjoy that kind of day anyway.

When he turned back to look at the red head there were tears in her eyes. It felt selfish to cry when all of this was her doing but she couldn't help it. Tom wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. It was something they'd done thousands of times before but this felt so very different it only made her cry harder. They stood like this for a few minutes with Tom just holding her and Chloe just crying.

"Why are you so good to me?" he heard her whisper in his ear and he just hugged her tighter, tears now falling from his own eyes.

"Because no matter what I still love you," and with that he pulled away.

Chloe brushed the hair out of her face and wiped the tears from her eyes. They stood there for a few minutes longer; just staring at one another. It was still early in the morning and none of their kids were awake yet, thankfully. They had explained everything as best as they could, but it was still going to be hard for them to cope with dad finally leaving. There was a profound difference between being told he wasn't going to be living with them anymore, and actually experiencing it. Thankfully he was only going to be living ten minutes away. He told Chloe he couldn't bear anything further than that, and she understood. He picked out a 3 bedroom apartment just outside their current neighbourhood. It was still close to the kids' school and had a swimming pool and playground that they would surely enjoy. The plan was for him to move in this weekend and get the place ready for the kids to stay with him the next. He was planning to paint one of the rooms purple with flowers on the wall for Adrienne and Alyson and the other room fire engine red, Adley's favourite colour. He wanted the place to still be like home for his kids.

* * *

" _I think I like sunshine yellow the best, but the honey yellow is nice too," Chloe rambled on about the paint chips she had taped to the wall._

" _They're all yellow babe. If we just found out if we are having a boy or girl maybe we could paint it a more interesting colour."_

" _Nice try, don't you want to be surprised?"_

" _I guess, but I still don't want to paint the nursery yellow."_

" _Why not? It's cute and neutral. In a few years our little munchkin can tell us their favourite colour and we can repaint it however they like."_

" _I like that idea," Tom agreed, kissing his wife on the cheek._

" _Good. Now, ducks, bunnies or teddy bears for the walls?"_

" _Definitely teddy bears, babies love teddy bears right?"_

" _Well if our baby is anything like their daddy they will still love teddy bears when they're 24. Where is Mister Snuggles anyway?" Chloe teased her husband._

_Tom couldn't help but smile as his wife laughed softly. He didn't sleep with his childhood bear anymore, not since he had a beautiful red head to cuddle with but Mister Snuggles sat safely on the dresser in their master bedroom. Perhaps now he would move the old bear into the nursery and sit it on the dresser in there. It seemed appropriate really to give his bear to his first child. It had gotten him through many a stormy night, and always warded off the monsters in his closet. Their little baby would be lucky to have such a protective friend watching over them._

" _I hope it's a girl," Tom said quietly, wrapping an arm around his wife._

" _Why is that?" she asked, laying her head down on his shoulder._

" _So she's just like you. You are amazing, and I love you."_

" _Aww. I love you too, and if we have a son just like you that will be awesome. Although I would appreciate it if he talked about baseball a little less."_

_Tom's face contorted into a look of mock offense sending Chloe into a fit of giggles. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head and picked up yet another paint chip off the floor and taped it to the wall._

" _What about bright summer yellow?"_

* * *

When Tom's arms were no longer around her Chloe turned to walk toward the kitchen. It was nearing 8 o'clock and their kids would definitely be up soon. None of them were known to sleep in, not yet anyway. She figured when they approached their teenage years they might start indulging in some extra sleep but for now her little ones were early risers. Tom hesitated momentarily before following her into the kitchen.

"Pancakes?" she said her back turned to him and Tom knew it was a question.

"That would be nice."

Pancakes were a family favourite and Chloe always made the best ones. Tom's attempts were valiant but never quite as fluffy and more often than not a little too burned for any of their liking. Chloe's were always perfectly round and delicious and you'd never hear of Tom or any of the kids turning her pancakes down.

"Pancakes it is then. Do you want to go check on them?"

"Yeah, I'll be back soon."

When Tom returned he had 3 fully dressed kids in tow who were delighted by the smell of the kitchen.

"Pancakes!" Adley cheered excitedly climbing up onto one of the seats at their breakfast table.

While they had a larger dining room just outside the kitchen breakfast was almost always eaten at the smaller table in the room itself. It was slightly cramped with 5 people, but they made it work and it was nice to eat all together. Tom helped Alyson up into her chair as Chloe flipped the last few pancakes up onto the stack.

"Breakfast is served," Chloe said, placing the stack of pancakes in the middle of the table.

She watched as Tom put a large pancake on each of their children's plates, adding just enough syrup to make them tasty but not enough to make a soupy mess.

"Thanks mom," Adrienne said smiling, chomping off the first bite of pancake on her fork.

"Can we go to the park after breakfast?" Adley asked when they were half way through the meal.

Chloe and Tom looked at each other across the table; it hurt both of them to think that this might be the last time they would have a moment like this all together as a family. It was times like this that had Chloe really questioning her decision. She could take it all back in an instant; all she would have to do is tell Tom not to go. She could tell him she was wrong, that she made a mistake and that she doesn't really want a divorce. She could tell him that they are good together and that they are meant to be. She could say all of that and he would stay, but then she would just be lying to both of them all over again. She couldn't say any of those things because none of them are true. As much as it hurts, it's not a mistake. You don't do or say the things she had without knowing that it is right first. So instead of asking him to stay she would just enjoy his last few hours here.

"That sounds fun," Tom spoke up, answering his son.

"Yeah, just wash your hands when you finish eating and put on a jacket okay?"

The kids nodded in unison climbing down from their chairs and racing off to their rooms for jackets.

* * *

" _Be careful," Chloe called to her two children and husband._

_Tom had run off in the direction of the swings with their four year old daughter Adrienne holding one hand and two year old Adley in his other arm. Chloe pushed the stroller containing their newborn daughter Alyson towards the bench at the park. It was a warm spring day and their first day out as a family since Alyson was born. The park near their house was one of their favourite spots to visit. There was playground equipment for the kids to play on and it also had a beautiful pond. Adley in particular loved to watch the ducks as they swam around. It was just a nice place to spend time and one they visited often. Chloe watched as Tom pushed the kids on the swings and they laughed with glee. It was sweet to watch, it had always been one of Chloe's favourite sights. She smiled as he looked back at her just to check on her and the baby._

" _I love you," he mouthed silently across the park but Chloe didn't need to hear him to know what he was saying._

* * *

Less than a week later Chloe dropped her kids off at Tom's new apartment. He had sent her a text to tell her that the paint was all dry and everything was ready to go. She was relieved when they were excited to go. There had been enough tears throughout the week, she wasn't sure she could handle anymore. She and Tom had agreed that their normal routine would consist of him picking up the kids after school so that he would get to see them every day. This week however since he was so busy with the move he hadn't had much time to see them at all. Chloe knocked on Tom's door and her face fell when he opened it looking a lot worse for the wear than he had last weekend before he left. She wanted to chalk it up to the fact that he had been working and trying to get his new apartment all setup, but she knew there was probably more to it than that. By the look on his face she suspected he had been crying but she wasn't going to say anything in front of the kids.

"Daddy!" they cheered happily and ran into the man's waiting arms.

"I'll see you guys on Sunday night okay?"

"Bye mama," they said smiling, still wrapped up in Tom's embrace.

"Bye babies."

As she walked out of the building she typed out a text message on her phone.  _Are you okay?_  She didn't really expect an answer from him but she felt it was important to ask. He had bent over backwards to make all of this easy on her when she knew it was killing him. The least she could do was check on him. Now that he was with his kids again though, he was probably doing just fine.

* * *

As Chloe turned the corner to leave the parking lot she glanced down at the clock. Just after 7 pm, she was late, damn it. Beca would understand though, she always did. She had been incredibly understanding about the whole situation over the last few months. She got that Chloe couldn't always go out with her, no matter how much they both wanted to see each other. She understood why it was just easier to hang out at Beca's place more often than not. She even understood every time Chloe was late or had to cut a date short because of the kids. Even though she didn't have a family Beca seemed to completely understand Chloe's commitments and her unorthodox situation. At the very least she pretended to understand and put up with it without complaint. Chloe wasn't entirely sure which scenario it was, or if it was a mixture of both but either way she was grateful. Beca was gorgeous, sweet, smart and funny; Chloe was sure she could easily find someone entirely less complicated to date but instead she wanted her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late again," Chloe apologized profusely kissing Beca on the cheek before sitting down at their table.

"It's okay, I'm sure you have a good reason," Beca said with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, well enough about that. How are you?"

"I am fantastic, even better now that you're here."

"Always a charmer, aren't we?"

"I try," Beca smirked.

As the two ate their meals the conversation flowed smoothly. Beca caught Chloe up on all that was going for her at work and Chloe did the same. They hadn't been out on a date in over a week so there was a lot to catch up on. Chloe loved hearing what was going on in Beca's life and Beca seemed to enjoy her stories as well. It was nice really to have someone to talk to other than Tom or Aubrey, and it was nice to talk about something other than her divorce or the kids. With Beca, Chloe felt like she could actually be a grown up again, and be herself. As much as she loved her kids it was nice to have a break from cartoons, colouring and math homework. With everything going on between her and Tom they had spent so much of their energy over the last few months making sure the kids' lives were kept together that they hadn't had much time just to themselves. It was fine really and it was necessary but this was just the kind of break she needed, and Beca was the person she really wanted to be with right now.

"Can I ask you a question?" Beca spoke up as they dug into a delicious piece of chocolate cake for dessert.

"You just did, do you have a follow up?" Chloe teased.

"I do, but I guess I feel kind of silly asking it."

"Why is that?" Chloe inquired, now genuinely curious.

"Because I'm a 30 year old woman and not a pimply faced teenager."

"Just ask me."

"I'm just wondering if you will be my girlfriend."

Chloe chuckled at the brunette, giving her hand a squeeze.

"We have been going out for over four months now Beca; I kind of already thought I was your girlfriend."

"I kind of already thought you were too, I guess I just wanted to make sure."

"Well I love dating you so yes, I would love to officially be your girlfriend. Now can I ask you a question?"

"What's that?"

"Would my girlfriend like to come home with me and stay the night?"

"She would love to. I think maybe your girlfriend will even watch a movie with you and cuddle on the couch."

"Well, my girlfriend is really sweet like that."

"So is mine," Beca winked.

Chloe couldn't help but lean over and kiss her girlfriend. The two broke apart only when their waitress brought over their bill moments later. Beca grabbed it quickly and laughed when Chloe pouted. Chloe always wanted to pay and so did Beca and while the red head usually won out, Beca had just been quicker this time.

"You should let me treat you once and a while babe."

"It's treat enough being out with you, I don't mind paying."

"You're so cheesy babe, and I don't mind paying either."

* * *

When they got back to Chloe's house the red head couldn't resist wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and enveloping her in a passionate kiss. She could have waited until they reached the couch but up against the door seemed like as good a place as any to engage in a make out session.

"Wow," Beca whispered almost breathlessly as she pulled away from their tight embrace.

Chloe just licked her lips and smiled, grabbing Beca's hand and pulling her towards the couch.

"I believe I was promised a movie and cuddling," she said plopping down on the soft fabric of her living room couch.

"A promise is a promise. What do you want to watch? I'll put it on."

"Anything I don't have to pay attention to, I have a feeling I might get distracted."

"Don't we have a dirty mind tonight," the brunette teased, thumbing over the movies on Chloe' shelf trying to pick out something they hadn't already seen.

"Hey now, I just meant that you are so incredibly beautiful I might just have to stare at you all night and miss the movie."

Although Chloe couldn't see it Beca was blushing. She waited until her face was back to its normal shade of pale to turn around.

"I don't think either of us will be watching the movie then if that's the case."

"Come here beautiful."

Beca did as she was told and took a seat on Chloe's lap, kissing the red head on the lips as they settled into a comfortable position. The brunette nuzzled into Chloe's neck, placing a few sweet kisses on the pale skin.

"I love you," Beca whispered the words into her neck but Chloe heard them as clear as day.

She swallowed hard and couldn't help the tears that began to stream down her cheeks. Beca hadn't meant to say it, it just kind of slipped out but it was really how she felt. Chloe wasn't ready to hear it though, it was unexpected and as much as she didn't want to admit it, unwelcome. She cared for Beca, she really did but love wasn't a word Chloe was ready to hear. She had thrown it around so casually in the past, almost carelessly really and too many times without feeling. It was why she was here tonight with Beca as her girlfriend of only 4 months, why she was just weeks away from being divorced and why she had to so callously tell her husband she wasn't really in love with him. Those 3 words were heavy and not to be taken lightly; she didn't know if she could accept them coming from Beca tonight, and she certainly couldn't reciprocate.

"I'm sorry," was all she managed to choke out before getting up off the couch and running into the bathroom, leaving Beca shocked and alone.

Beca ran to follow her only to find the bathroom door already locked. She slid down to the floor, her small frame sitting up with her back flat against the door.

"Chloe, are you okay?"

Her question was met only with heaving sobs from the other woman. Beca took a deep breath and just continued to sit there. She would just wait until Chloe was ready to talk; she'd wait all night and longer if she had to. Maybe it was too early for Chloe to hear it but Beca meant it when she told her that she loved her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to thank everyone who has been following this story and leaving reviews. I've been trying to respond to people individually but there are a lot of guest reviews, so thank you. I appreciate all the feedback, and I'm glad people on the whole have been enjoying the story. This story is first and foremost about Chloe and her life and relationships, which is why it includes a lot of backstory and Tom. For everyone reading though know that from here on out this story will focus a lot more heavily on Beca and Chloe's relationship, and how Chloe moves on from her marriage with her. I hope you will continue to enjoy the story, and do feel free to send me your thoughts in a review or comment or in a Tumblr message (shesamarshmallow). You guys are awesome and enjoy!

"I'm going to keep sitting here until I know you're okay. I hope you know that. I'm not leaving you."

Beca had been trying to talk to the red head through the bathroom door for over an hour but had received only sobs in response. The brunette hadn't budged from her spot, sitting straight up against the hard wooden door. She was beginning to grow uncomfortable, her legs long since having grown tired of their crossed position. It didn't matter to Beca though; she was going to stay there, as long as it took. There was no way she was leaving Chloe's house and leaving her alone and upset. That would be the easy thing to do, to leave and come back some time when Chloe had sorted her emotions out but Beca wasn't taking the easy route this time. The old Beca, the Beca from ten years ago, she would have run by now. Dealing with other people's emotions, their feelings had never really been her style. Beca had always run away from feelings, but now, she was ready to confront them head on; even if that meant sitting on the cold, hard floor for hours.

* * *

" _You got all of my favourite candy and snacks," Beca mused excitedly, glancing down at the contents of Chloe's bag._

" _Of course I did, what's a girl's night without snacks."_

" _Fair enough," Beca laughed, pulling the large bag of twizzlers out from under the popcorn._

_Chloe just stared at her as she ripped the red candy apart with her teeth. She couldn't help but smile seeing how happy Beca seemed. She remembered how much the younger girl loved the twisty candy after a night out at the movies. Beca pouted when she saw that the theatre was out of her favourite treat. She mumbled something about being dragged out to a movie and there not even being any good candy. Chloe found her pout ridiculously adorable and assured her that she'd find her some twizzlers after the film. Sure enough once the film ended Chloe drove the two of them to a nearby convenience store and purchased Beca not one but two packages of the soft, gooey red candy. The way her face lit up at the sight of the candy made Chloe almost giddy herself. She longed to see Beca that happy all the time; she longed to make her that happy._

" _Why are you staring at me?" Beca asked curiously._

" _No reason, I just…you look happy."_

_The confusion must have been evident on Beca's face, because Chloe spoke up again to clarify moments later._

" _The candy, it always makes you happy to have twizzlers."_

" _Oh," Beca laughed, "yeah I just really like them. My dad and I always shared twizzlers when I was growing up. I guess they remind me of him."_

" _That's sweet."_

_Beca just shrugged. She had opened up, but mere seconds later she was closing herself down again. It was like she felt she had revealed too much of herself and needed to stop. She couldn't let Chloe any closer than she already was._

" _Beca, can we talk?" Chloe spoke up as the sun began to lower and night fall was upon them._

_They had gotten lost in Beca's mixes, dancing around the living room, and just generally enjoying each other's company. Chloe didn't even notice the darkness creeping up, until she realized she had something she wanted to say before night's end._

" _Sure, about what?"_

_As soon as Chloe had uttered "about us," Beca began roughly shoving things into her bag._

" _I have to go actually, I have to meet Jesse early in the morning and umm, I have a paper to write."_

_It was a Friday night; Chloe knew there was no way Beca was leaving to write a paper. She sighed, knowing that trying to push the issue would just push Beca and her further apart. She could deal with them just being friends, with Beca being unwilling to realize there was something more between them but she couldn't deal with losing her friend. Beca was stubborn and closed off; pushing her to talk wouldn't do any good. If Beca was unwilling to talk about her feelings, nothing Chloe could do or say was going to change that. Beca was Beca, and Chloe would just have to deal with everything that entailed, including not being able to confess her feelings._

* * *

"If you don't want to talk, I understand. Can you just come out here though? I don't want you to be alone."

Beca's voice was coloured with worry, even Chloe could tell that through the sound of her own sobs. Her tone was sombre, she was trying to avoid pleading with her girlfriend but she couldn't help it. Even if Chloe couldn't use her words yet, she just wanted to hold her, to tell her that everything is going to be okay.

It was a few more minutes before Beca heard the bathroom's door lock click open. She stood up immediately and moved out of the way. When Chloe exited the bathroom her face was stained with the past hour's endless stream of tears. Her eyes were red and puffy and the hurt in them was so evident. It broke Beca's heart to see her like this. More so it hurt to know that her words had set the red head off. If she had just been able to keep her feelings to herself like she always had in the past maybe they could have avoided this whole mess. She looked at her girlfriend sympathetically, watching and waiting for her to make another move. If they were going to talk or do anything, it had to be on Chloe's terms.

Beca was surprised when Chloe moved toward her first and wrapped her arms around her. She hadn't expected it, but it was a pleasant surprise if anything. In the last hour she had longed to hold Chloe in her arms, to give her a reassuring pat on the back, or a kiss to the cheek. Now she was on the receiving end of this comforting affection. Chloe kissed Beca gently on the lips and moved her arms down to entwine their hands. She walked with Beca hand in hand toward the couch. No words had been uttered yet but their interaction was comfortable, sweet really.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said once they were seated back on the couch.

"You don't have to apologize. I should have thought more about your situation before I said it. I just, I was wrapped up in the moment and I felt it. I just wanted to tell you how much I care about it, but those words slipped out. I mean them, and I don't take them back, but I should have thought about the timing. That is why you're upset right?"

Chloe nodded, "I just have a lot of conflicting feelings I guess. I walked away from a relationship where I wasn't in love with the other person but it was so much more than that. I didn't feel for him romantically but I did love him in so many other ways, I mean, I still do. He's been my world for so many years, he's the father of my children and he means a lot to me. Leaving him has been hard and I guess I haven't really properly addressed my feelings about our split. I care about you Beca, I do and I know in my heart I'm doing the right thing, but it's too early for those words, for me. I don't want you to feel like you have to hide your feelings though. I promise to try not to run away and cry again if you tell me how you feel."

"I would appreciate that," Beca said with a light hearted laugh.

"Can we go to sleep now?" Chloe asked tentatively. She had kind of ruined their date but she hoped Beca would still want to stay with her.

"Of course we can."

* * *

As they walked into the bedroom Chloe could see the look of concern on her girlfriend's face. She jumped in to answer all of her unasked questions before they even reached the bed.

"This is the spare bedroom," Chloe began explaining, "not the master. I'm planning on getting a new bed for myself for in there though, I just…I haven't yet."

She knew the master bedroom; the bedroom she had shared with Tom for the last nine years was not the place for her and Beca to spend the night. Instead she made up the spare bedroom for the two of them. In theory the bed in the master bedroom would be a lot more comfortable; in their situation though Chloe was sure that this one would be the better choice.

Hearing this sent a wave of relief through Beca's whole body, she hadn't realized it before but the thought had made her uncomfortable. It seemed like an invasion of privacy to her to come into their house and sleep in their bedroom, even if Tom and Chloe were broken up. She climbed into the spare bed next to the red head and instinctively put her arm around her. It comforted the other woman immensely to feel Beca's arm around her waist, her other hand tangled in her fiery locks. Beca kissed Chloe sweetly on the lips, just a small gesture to remind her that she was there with her, for her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Beca asked as she lay face to face with Chloe, the red head smiling brightly at her.

"Talk about what?" Chloe asked, genuinely curious about what Beca was referring to.

"You said you have a lot of feelings you haven't dealt with. I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted to talk to me about them. I understand if you don't want to, or can't. I just thought I'd offer."

"That's sweet," Chloe smiled giving Beca a peck on the lips. "Actually, I wouldn't mind talking about it."

"Back there you said that you know you're doing the right thing. How do you know? I mean Tom's a good guy right, and you said you love him in a lot of ways. How did you know it was the right thing to leave him; the right thing to be with me instead?"

Beca had asked only one question but to Chloe it seemed like she had asked hundreds. It was such a loaded question.

"You can't force yourself to love someone, no matter how good they are, no matter how much you want to. There have been so many times over the years where I wished I could just love Tom. I wished I could feel about Tom the way I had always…" Chloe stopped herself before she said the next words. She was nervous about continuing.

She took a deep breath. "I wished I could feel about Tom the way I always felt about you. I knew what it was like to really love someone, and I just didn't feel that for Tom. He was, he is the best man I know, but he's not the man for me."

Beca nodded in understanding at this revelation. She knew exactly what Chloe meant when she said that. She had felt the same way about Jesse. Jesse was amazing; he was so sweet and so good to her. He was a great guy and he would have treated her well and given her a picture perfect life. When it came down to it though, she didn't love him. He didn't make her feel the way she knew she would when she was actually in love. It was in this moment she felt even more connected to Chloe; to know that they had felt the same way and had experienced the same things brought her comfort. To know that Chloe shared in every moment of despair and doubt she had ever had over the end of her relationship with Jesse, it made her feel understood. She nuzzled her head into Chloe's neck as the red head cleared her throat to continue.

"As much as I hated not being able to be with someone I really loved, I hated even more that I was denying Tom the opportunity to be with someone who really loved him. Every day, every week, every month that I spent with him when I knew we shouldn't be together was another moment I was denying him the love he truly deserves. Tom is a great guy and he deserves real love, that's how I know I made the right decision no matter how much it hurts sometimes."

Chloe was in tears after everything she had said. It wasn't often that she talked openly and honestly about her feelings for Tom, and it meant a lot to her to have someone who really wanted to listen. Even more so, it meant a lot to her that she had told someone who she felt actually understood. In the same way Beca now felt understood, so did Chloe. It was hard for other people, for Aubrey, for her parents, for her other friends to really get why she was leaving her husband, but Beca got it. It comforted her even more to know that Beca would still have understood her feelings even if they weren't together. Even if Beca was just a friend, even if she didn't benefit from the collapse of Chloe's marriage she would get how Chloe felt and that felt good.

Beca adjusted her head and leaned up to press a kiss to Chloe's forehead.

"I'm sorry if you're hurting."

"You have nothing to be sorry about Beca. You're putting me back together again."

"I love you," Beca said again.

This time Chloe didn't cringe or recoil, she didn't run or cry. She just held onto Beca tighter and breathed a content sigh. She couldn't respond yet with her own affirmation of love but Beca knew she felt it. They relaxed in each other's arms and quickly drifted off to sleep. It wasn't until the bright light of the morning drifted through the part in the room's curtains that Beca opened her eyes again. As she stirred awake she stared to the left of her, grateful to be so incredibly lucky. Ten years ago she had missed out on the opportunity to be with Chloe but now they were making up for lost time. Beca lay still in the red head's arms, content. She was happy just to be there with her, they didn't have to do or say anything and Beca felt complete, like this part of her had been missing for so long and she had finally found it.

* * *

Chloe only stirred a few minutes later when both of them heard what sounded like someone bounding around the house. Beca tensed momentarily, wondering if maybe someone had broken into Chloe's place. She hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary prior, but it really did sound like someone was walking around outside the bedroom door.

"Chloe?" they heard a voice call out.

Beca breathed a sigh of relief when she gathered from Chloe's calm expression that it was a familiar voice.

"In here," she called back without hesitation.

It was less than a minute later when Beca saw Tom walk into the spare bedroom. She was going to give the man a friendly smile but thought better of it when she saw the forlorn expression on his face.

"Sorry," he said, "I didn't know you had company. I actually just came by to look for Adley's dinosaur, he forgot it. The kids are at the park with my parents."

They could both hear that he was choking back tears as he spoke. Their presence, together in the room had taken him by surprise. Chloe now regretted calling for him and wished she'd just gone out to the living room to meet him. She could have avoided their awkward encounter and spared him the pain she knew he was now feeling. It was one thing for Tom to know that she was dating Beca but it was another thing entirely for him to see them together. On the whole he had been fairly supportive of her relationship, watching the kids when they went out on dates and never offering a negative comment about her choice. Once he had even made a quip about Chloe's obviously excellent taste in attractive brunettes. Today though his pain over his wife's new relationship was written all over his face.

Chloe could see the tears start to fall as he quickly turned to exit the room. She bolted up to chase after him. When she caught up to him he was sitting on the living room couch in tears, clutching the toy dinosaur he had come to retrieve tightly.

"Tom," Chloe started.

"Don't."

"Tom, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Tom snapped, "you finally got what you always wanted right."

"Tom you know that's not true."

"It's not, huh? I don't need your pity Chloe. You don't have to pretend you ever actually loved me the way I loved you. You don't have to pretend you care about my feelings."

The anger in his voice was palpable. He had been so calm for the entirety of their separation, it shouldn't have been a shock really that he had finally had enough. Chloe wanted to respond sympathetically, she wanted to comfort him but something overtook her. She felt angry too; angry that after all these years he would say something like that to her, angry that he would dare accuse her of not caring about him.

"Tell me Tom, tell me that I was the love of your life and that that's why you married me and not because it was easier than finding another girl; a girl who you didn't know was hopelessly in love with her friend. Tell me that we were ever anything more than bros who also happened to sleep together. Honestly, can you tell me that? Don't pretend like you never knew Tom, don't pretend like I blindsided you."

She was yelling even though she didn't mean to be. She and Tom had never fought over their split, not yet and not like this.

"Bros?" Tom repeated incredulously. "Chloe I don't think I ever had children with any of my other 'bros.' You can try and tell me that I didn't really love you to make yourself feel better but that doesn't change the fact that I did. You may have just always loved me as a friend Chloe, but I actually did fall in love with you. Even if I knew how you felt about Beca I guess I hoped that maybe one day you would actually fall in love with me too. Some days it even felt like you had. Sometimes when you kissed me it almost felt like you meant it."

Chloe now looked sad, her anger having dissipated after Tom's emotional confession. She couldn't stay mad at him, especially when what he said was true. Chloe could pretend they were always just friends but she knew deep down that he loved her in the way she wished she loved him back. She knew that he married her hoping that their connection was strong enough to get them through anything. Deep down, she knew he thought that maybe one day she'd be in love with him and everything would be okay. That day never came though, and it was her fault for staying with him so long, not his. He had always loved her.

"Tom, I've said a lot of crap but I want you to know that I will never regret one minute of our lives together. We may have been lying to ourselves about some things over the years, and ignoring things that shouldn't have been ignored, but our life together was still great. We have 3 incredibly beautiful children together and nothing can change that, and I wouldn't want to."

In that instant Tom wrapped his arms around his soon to be ex-wife, hugging her tight. No more words were exchanged in that moment. All they did was hold each other and they knew that somehow everything would be okay.

"Promise me you'll move on and find someone who loves you more than anything in the world?"

"I'll try. I just hope there's someone out there who will look at me the way you've always looked at Beca."

"You will. Any girl would be crazy not to fall deeply and madly in love with you Tom Riley. I'm just crazy about another girl is all."

Tom nodded in understanding and offered Chloe a small smile. Standing up from the couch he accepted one last hug from her.

"I guess I'll get this dinosaur back to Adley."

"Tell my babies I said hi. See you tomorrow."

"Bye Chloe," Tom waved as he exited the house.

* * *

Beca, who had heard everything from the next room, came out to meet Chloe when Tom had finally left. She wrapped her arms around Chloe from behind, smiling when the other woman turned around to kiss her.

"You've always loved me?" Beca said. It was half a question, half a statement.

"I've always loved you," Chloe confirmed.

Her conversation with Tom had given her a sense of closure. She felt more able to express her feelings now that she had cleared the air with him. Everything was so much less confusing with the truth out in the open. Chloe didn't regret her time spent with Tom, but in all her years with Tom she never loved him in the way she had fallen for Beca. She hoped now they would all be able to move in a new direction in life and move on.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello to you my lovely and patient readers. I know it's been a while. I usually don't like to go this long between updates but such is life. I've got a lot less time in my schedule and when life calls we have to answer. I plan to go back to my usual Sunday update schedule though so expect another chapter on Sunday afternoon. Now though, onto Chapter 9. Things get a little more serious between Beca and Chloe. As always your feedback is greatly appreciated. It really motivates me to do my best when I see your reviews, comments and Tumblr messages (shesamarshmallow) so please keep them coming. To everyone who is following and reading this story, you are awesome.

Beca rolled over in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. The chilly air whipped at her exposed shoulders and she cursed herself for not wearing something warmer to bed. The urge to curl back up under the blankets and sleep the frigid winter day away was strong but she was pulled further from the warmth of her bed by the ringing of her cellphone. If it wasn't for those first notes of "Titanium" she probably would have ignored it but that particular song let her know she wanted to talk to the person on the other end.

"Hey Chloe," Beca chirped into the receiver. It was abnormal for her early on a Sunday morning to be so chipper but she couldn't help it.

"Good morning love," Chloe said, matching her girlfriend's perky tone.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you and it's Sunday."

"It is indeed Sunday," Beca replied, sighing heavily.

"Hey now," the red head chided, "none of that. Two minutes ago you were thrilled to hear from me."

"That was before you reminded me that it's Sunday which means it's another day that I don't get to see you. I know Sundays are important to you so the kids know you're still a family and I think that's great. I just don't get to see you a lot throughout the week you know and I didn't see you yesterday because you were at your parent's house. I miss you like crazy is all."

"I know babe, I know and I miss you too. I promise I'll see you soon though. Try to have a good day okay."

Before Beca could even say goodbye she heard the click and knew Chloe had already hung up. She had to resist the urge to throw the damn thing across the room. She hated to whine to Chloe because she understood that her girlfriend had a family and that they were more important, but it was frustrating nonetheless. During the week her kids stayed with her at the house so unless they met for a lunch date during the day or the kids had extracurricular activities Beca didn't see her. On Sundays Chloe insisted on having dinner at the house with the kids and Tom. It was important to her that her kids still had a sense of home of family despite their situation. This left only Saturdays for them to really see each other and it seemed like every other Saturday Chloe had other commitments. There were dinners with her family, work functions, tee ball games, dance lessons; the list seemed endless to Beca. It's not that it bothered her that Chloe had other things to do; just that she couldn't really be a part of them. Sometimes she just felt so separate from Chloe's life she wasn't sure they could ever work.

Before the brunette could take out her frustration on any of her possessions there was a knock at her door. Who the hell would be knocking this early, Beca groaned as she stood up. It was either someone trying to convert her or someone trying to sell something to her and she wasn't in the mood for either.

"What the heck do you want?" Beca started shouting before she even opened her front door.

Instead of being met with a stunned worshipper or salesman though Beca was staring into the loving eyes of her girlfriend. Chloe didn't look at all shocked by her girlfriend's ranting, in fact she was actually laughing.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Chloe teased.

It took Beca a second to register the situation but eventually she was able to speak.

"I thought you were spending the day with your family."

"I'll have dinner with them later. Now though, I want to spend the morning with my girlfriend. I even brought bagels and cream cheese."

"My favourite," Beca beamed.

After the shock finally wore off Beca stepped out of the door way and allowed the red head entrance. Her smile only widened when she received a sweet kiss on the cheek. It had been just over a week since she'd last seen her girlfriend but to Beca it seemed like forever. It was funny to her how they had gone almost ten years without seeing each other and things were fine but these days even 10 hours without Chloe was painful. It was the way Beca felt when she was around Chloe, so happy and alive. It was a way she hadn't felt in years and she was enjoying every second of it. The last 6 months with Chloe made her wonder how she had ever spent 6 years with Jesse. He never made her feel the way Chloe did, it was like she had been sleepwalking and now she was finally awake again.

" _I don't understand. What do you mean you don't want kids?"_

" _I mean, I don't want to have kids. I thought that was pretty clear."_

_Beca was tired of having this conversation. It seemed like the only conversation they had been having for over a year. As soon as Jesse proposed he started talking about the future. He talked about the house they could buy, getting a pet, how many kids they should have and all the other details of their marriage and life together. Sure she had accepted his proposal and she was going to marry him but all the talk about the future she found tedious and uninteresting. Beca was happy with the house they lived in, she didn't want a pet and she certainly didn't want any kids; at least not in the near future._

" _Why did you agree to marry me then?"_

" _What does that have to do with me not wanting to have kids?"_

" _Because that's what you do Beca, you get married and you start a family. That's what I wanted and I thought that's what you wanted too. I thought that's what you meant when you said yes. I thought we were on the same page Beca."_

_Beca could tell he was upset now because he was yelling and Jesse never yelled. It wasn't in his nature to get angry and loud but tonight she had set him off. Maybe he was fed up with having this conversation too but hey, he's the one who started it._

" _Maybe we're not on the same page Jesse. Maybe we never were."_

" _Don't say that Beca. We're good together, you'll see."_

" _Yeah," Beca sighed. Their arguments always ended like this. Nothing resolved, and Jesse never wavering from his steadfast belief that the two of them were meant to be. It was just Beca who was left wondering what if they weren't._

Her house all of the sudden felt warmer with Chloe smiling at her from across the table. It was such a simple thing, just eating breakfast together but to Beca it just felt right. It was easy, smiling at Chloe in between bites of her bagel. They didn't even have to talk but things just got better when they did. Chloe relayed the details of her week without Beca. She had gone to a few meetings at work, boring but it meant there were exciting things to come for her. Adley had hit the baseball for the first time at his game this week. Alyson was learning to read and read her first story book all by herself. Beca loved the way Chloe's face lit up when she talked about her children. Chloe was generally perky and upbeat but talking about her children made her even more so. A year ago this would have made Beca scoff but now it made her smile right along with her girlfriend.

"How did Adrienne do on her math test?" Beca asked after she popped the last bite of her bagel in her mouth.

"Great, she got an A. She was really excited; she even said math is her new favourite subject."

Beca laughed lightly, "Well, I'm sure that will change once she gets passed addition and subtraction. I'm glad she did well though."

"Me too. Do you want some more coffee?"

"No, I'm good."

"What do you want to do now then? I've got a few hours before I need to go grocery shopping for dinner."

"I usually just curl up on the couch with a book on Sunday afternoons."

"Would you be opposed to curling up with a red head instead?"

"Not at all."

As Chloe settled into position on Beca's couch the brunette threw a large blanket over them. The cool draft had been lingering in the house all morning but Beca had been too excited to notice. It was only when she noticed her girlfriend visibly shivering that she remembered the weather outside. Chloe's arm felt as comfortable around her body as the soft cotton of the blanket that was now covering the pair. Beca let out a comfortable sigh as Chloe rested her head on her shoulder. As she looked out the window she remembered again why she loved this house so much. The view from her back window was gorgeous. It was nice and quiet and sitting there with Chloe just watching nature and letting the day pass, again, it felt right.

"Chloe, can we talk?"

The anxiety that coursed through Beca's body as she said it must have been evident to her girlfriend who immediately moved from their comfortable position. Chloe sat face to face with Beca placing her hands on the other woman's shoulders.

"Please tell me you're not about to run away from me again. I can't handle another ten years without you."

"Did it sound that ominous?" Beca asked, laughing. "I'm definitely not breaking up with you. I just want to talk, about us."

"Okay," Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's talk."

The red head moved back and rested her head on Beca's shoulder once more just waiting for her to continue their conversation. It wasn't like Beca to initiate a serious talk like this. Chloe knew she shouldn't have jumped to conclusions about what Beca wanted to talk about, but it was the first thing that ran through her mind when Beca asked to talk. Ten years ago she would have loved for Beca to initiate a conversation like this; today though when everything was going so well and Chloe was so sure about their relationship she was a little more wary. Beca said they weren't breaking up though, so this would be a good conversation, it had to be.

"As you know we've been together for over six months now and I just thought we should talk about some things. I know your marriage just ended and your divorce isn't even final yet so I'm not talking about anything huge like moving in together yet. But I thought we should talk about us. I love you and I think things are getting serious between us and for once in my life I'm actually excited about that. I just want to make sure we're on the same page you know."

"If you're asking if I'm serious about us and if you're it for me then yes. If you weren't asking that, well now you know. I love you Beca and I've been waiting for ten years for you to be on the same page. I'm not just fooling around here."

Chloe's response was met not with more words but with Beca's lips on her own. Suddenly the red head was enveloped in a deep, passionate kiss. If Chloe had known she would elicit this reaction out of Beca she would have told her sooner. The red head knew she often took for granted that people knew how she felt. Beca was the type who needed to hear it though. She would wait to hear it, but she needed to hear it. They had said the words before but this time it meant more.

"Mmm," Chloe verbalized her approval pulling away from her girlfriend only to get some air. "I should definitely tell you I love you more often."

"Somehow I think there's an ulterior motive behind that plan," Beca teased.

"No ulterior motive, I just love you. Okay and maybe I want to make out with you."

"Fair enough; I actually wasn't done though. Can I ask you something else?"

"Of course, shoot babe."

"Okay, well…" Beca was now stumbling over her words. This was the Beca that Chloe was used to. Not so sure of herself; awkward yet incredibly cute. "I thought maybe…and…err, you can tell me if this is out of line but I thought maybe I could meet your kids." Beca let out a sigh of relief when she finally got the words out.

It was something she had been thinking about for a while now. Chloe's kids were such a big part of her life; really they were her whole life. She and Beca talked about them and Beca had seen pictures and even video of them but she had never met them. When she and Chloe first got together Beca had no real desire to meet her kids. They were just kids and Beca wasn't interested in kids. When they had been together for a while though Beca became curious but she knew it was still too early. Now though with everything feeling so right between them Beca wanted to meet them. Now they weren't just kids, they were Chloe's kids. She wanted to meet the kids who meant everything and then some to her beloved girlfriend. She wanted to see all the reasons Chloe had to smile every day.

Chloe smiled wide. "You want to meet my children?"

It wasn't so much a question as an affirmation of Beca's words.

"I would love to meet your children. They're the most important people in your life. I just thought it would be nice to maybe get to know them."

Chloe thought out her words carefully before continuing the conversation. "I'll have to run it by Tom first of course to make sure he's okay with it but I would love for you to meet them too."

"Great," Beca said happily. "Just let me know, I'm ready to meet them whenever."

"Okay, I'll ask Tom over dinner tonight and then we can arrange something. Speaking of dinner though, I should get going. I hate to leave you but I promised Adley I'd make lasagna tonight and I still need a few ingredients."

Beca took Chloe by the hand and got up off the couch with her. "It's okay. I know that it's Sunday and Sunday is family day. I'm glad you came to see me though, especially since you brought bagels."

"Beca I know it must be frustrating for you to feel like maybe you don't really fit into my life but you do. I promise you I will always want you in my life and I will always make time for you, okay?"

"I know you will, and hopefully you will always bring bagels."

Chloe laughed and gave Beca one last hug and kiss before turning to leave. As the afternoon was drawing to a close she really did need to get going no matter how much she didn't want to leave her girl. Before she made it to the door though Chloe turned around and came back into the living room where the brunette still stood. Beca watched as Chloe rifled through her purse. Her keys were already in her hand and her cellphone was in her pocket, Beca couldn't imagine what she was looking for. Things became clearer though when Beca noticed the square in the red head's hand. She smiled as Chloe placed it face up on her coffee table and gave her another peck on the cheek.

"Goodnight love."

"Goodnight Chloe."

With that Chloe walked back towards the door and moments later she was gone.

Beca picked up the small square from the table and considered it for a moment. She smiled at the faces smiling back at her from the photograph. It was taken at the Atlanta Zoo. Beca remembered Chloe telling her all about her recent trip. Adrienne and Adley were obsessed with pandas and couldn't stop talking about them for weeks afterwards. Alyson was partial to penguins which Beca remembered because they were her favourites too. Chloe and her 3 children smiled brightly from the tiny square. Beca would get a frame for the photograph at some point but for now she tucked it away safely in her wallet. It meant a lot that Chloe had left it for her. Seven months ago she never could have imagined that she'd ever see Chloe Beale again, now though she was getting closer to Chloe than she had ever been and it felt good. Nothing said commitment to Beca more than her actually wanting to meet someone's kids.

Beca learned from the string of douchey boyfriends her mom brought home after her parent's divorce that introducing your kids to your new "special friend" shouldn't be taken lightly. After the third one Beca dreaded meeting the next guy. They were all so arrogant and rude and not one of them until her mother's current husband Bryan had paid any attention to her. Maybe if her own father had given a damn he would have stopped her mother from being so foolish and ignoring her emotions. The fact that Chloe's first thought was to ask Tom if he was okay with Beca meeting the kids told Beca just how much better they were handling their split than her own parents. She just hoped Tom would understand that her intentions were good and that if she was going to be in his children's lives she planned to be good to them.

Even more so she hoped that Chloe's kids would be receptive to her. She had never been great with kids but she planned to try. If Chloe's kids didn't like her though, what would happen to their relationship? They were great together, they were serious about being together long term but that could change in an instant if the kids didn't like her. That thought hadn't crossed Beca's mind when she asked Chloe about meeting them but the more she thought about it, the more nervous she became. Was it still too early? Would her kids think Beca was awful? Would they think she was trying to replace their dad? Beca's head was spinning and it wouldn't stop. Maybe Beca should have kept her mouth shut but it was too late now. She had already told Chole she wanted to meet them and by now Chloe was well on her way to talking to Tom about it. All she could do now was suck it up and try and make a good impression. Now, how do you make a good impression on an eight year old, six year old and four year old? Beca would definitely need more coffee for this one and maybe an Advil.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Before I wrote this chapter I had a completely different idea about where it was going than where it ended up. That said, I like this better and I think it fleshes things out better than what I had originally planned. As always I hope you'll enjoy it. I promise more Bechloe togetherness is coming, but I felt like this interaction between the ladies and others was important to the story.
> 
> To all those who leave feedback in the form of comments, reviews and Tumblr messages (shesamarshmallow), you are awesome and I really appreciate it. It does help me to grow and improve as a writer, and it is good to know what people are enjoying or not liking so much with this story. Also just another thank you to all the lovely readers who are following and reading this story, you guys are great. All that said, enjoy this next chapter.

Chloe drove the short distance to Tom's apartment in silence. It was unusual for her, someone who normally had the music blaring but her head was filled with thoughts she couldn't concentrate on if she had the overwhelming urge to sing along with Pink. She had thoughts about her kids, Tom and Beca, all of which was normal for Chloe but this time it was different, this time they were nervous thoughts. Chloe was used to being so sure of herself, even if she turned out to be wrong in the end she was sure. Today though, nervous thoughts wracked the red head's brain, taking her steadfast certainty and throwing it out the window. She had told Beca she would love for her to meet her children, but what if that wasn't a good idea. What if Tom thought it wasn't a good idea, what if this made things harder between them. Things had been going well and she wanted them to stay that way for the sake of their kids, but what if this changed their dynamic. Mostly though she wondered how her kids were going to react, how they were going to feel about all of this. It was new territory obviously and she hadn't a clue. Unlike Beca the red head hadn't grown up in what many would call a broken home. Her family, her parents especially were happy and happy together. She never had to experience what it was like to meet mommy or daddy's new significant other. She never imagined her kids would have to either but things change and all of that change was now making her incredibly nervous.

She considered momentarily a pit stop at Aubrey's house. Aubrey and her family lived roughly in between her and Tom's respective living spaces. She could stop there and get some much needed reassurance from her best friend but she was already late. Not to mention she wasn't sure Aubrey would be much help today anyway. On top of having 2 ½ year old twins who were going through that annoying stage where they have tantrums and it takes all of your energy to calm them down her best friend just found out she was pregnant again. Exhausted but excited she explained to Chloe the other day over the phone, and Chloe believed her. She had three kids but she couldn't imagine having twins, so much to deal with all at once. In any case she let the idea flit from her mind, she would settle for a reassuring text from the blonde for now. She got this in the form of  _you can do it_  and kept driving.

As she stood in the elevator that would take her up to Tom's place she took a deep breath. She tried to exhale all of the nerves and confusion but her body didn't seem to want to let her. There was no turning back now, she was there to pick up the kids anyway and it was a conversation they would have to have eventually. As nervous as she was there was still a hint of certainty, about Beca. Chloe was sure about Beca, as sure as she'd ever been about anything. Even if she was nervous about talking to Tom and about her kids meeting Beca she was still incredibly sure about her love for the other woman. She could get past this; past the butterflies in the pit of her stomach and do this. All she had to do now was knock.

"Mama!"

It was Alyson who squealed this and ran to the door and into her mother's arms first as it always was. Adrienne and Adley made their way over much more calmly and gracefully and wrapped their arms around her. It had been a few months but weekends were still hard. Neither the kids nor Chloe were used to being apart from each other so even two nights a week felt unbearable. Chloe found herself crying more often than she ever had in her life. Beca had gotten used to it by now. It was often on a Saturday night they'd be lying in bed, ready to fall asleep after a long day and Chloe would just burst into tears. At first Beca was dumbfounded and at a loss to help her. She would mumble incoherently and the brunette just wasn't sure what was wrong. Eventually though when she could verbalize her feelings Beca realized she was just missing her kids. She missed being able to hug and kiss them and tuck them in before bed. She missed the infinite amount of love that came inherently with having kids. Not having them physically there with her made her heart ache. More often than not it was also too late to call them as they would be long since in bed themselves. So Chloe just cried and Beca just held her. Weekends were hard, but they were getting better.

"Hey Alycat, how was your weekend?"

"Fun, fun, fun; daddy took us to the library and we could take out as many books as we wanted."

"Wow, did you read them all already?"

"Nope, the books are in my backpack. I have two weeks to finish them."

"Great, we can read some of them together," Chloe said smiling as she lifted her little girl into her arms and pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

As they walked further into Tom's apartment Chloe noticed all of the finishing touches Tom had added to the place to make their kids feel more at home. It was filled with photographs just like their home always was. He had put up bookshelves and filled them with books they would all enjoy. He had games and toys neatly piled up around the room. Everything was just so and it was nice to see. To Chloe it meant she was just sending her kids off every weekend to an extension of their own home, not somewhere foreign that made them uncomfortable. As sad as it often made her to be away from them at least she knew they were enjoying their time with their father. Chloe always maintained that no matter what happened between the two of them she never could have picked a better father for her children. Tom was amazing; now she just hoped he would be as understanding as he always had been.

Tom had always been good at reading people and one look into his soon to be ex-wife's eyes and he knew there was something on her mind. He knew she wanted to talk before she even had to say it.

"Hey guys, why don't you go play the new game grandma bought you before dinner? Mama and I are going to start cooking and it might be a while."

The kids obliged happily and ran off towards the room that Adrienne and Alyson shared. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. Tom could read people well and Chloe could read Tom. She knew he had sent the kids off to play in an effort to give them some time alone to talk.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Beca, actually," Chloe said; a slight hint of hesitation evident in her voice.

"Okay, wasn't expecting that but go on, we can talk about your girlfriend if you need us to."

"Well," Chloe started, "it's actually more about the kids than about Beca." She took another deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is Beca wants to meet the kids and I guess I was wondering if that's okay with you."

"Is that all? Of course that's okay with me. I mean, I figured it would happen sooner or later."

Chloe breathed an audible sigh of relief but she was still a bit shocked. Tom seemed so utterly calm and nonchalant about the whole thing. She wasn't sure what she expected from him but it wasn't this.

"It's okay with you, really?" Chloe asked, still in disbelief.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be? I would be more concerned if she didn't want to meet the kids."

"Why?"

"If she wants to meet them it means she's serious about you and she's making an effort to really solidify your relationship. If she didn't want the kids in her life that would be a big issue right? I mean they're in your life forever and if she wants to be in your life too, she needs to be in their lives. Besides, I just want people in my kids' lives who are going to care about them and love them. If she brought up meeting them, she's probably willing to do that. I just want what's best for them you know, and for you. I think it's a big step but a good one."

Chloe took a moment to take in everything Tom had said. She hadn't even considered it that deeply before. Beca wanting to meet her children really was a big step in their relationship. Obviously Beca was thinking about the future and their future together would inevitably have to include Chloe's kids. They couldn't keep seeing each other just on Saturdays forever. They needed more time together and they needed to be more involved in one another's life. Beca being in Chloe's life more meant Beca being with Chloe when she's with her kids. Like Tom said, it's a big step but a good one. Chloe is sure she wants that future with Beca so this is a step she's just going to have to take.

"You're right, this can only be a good thing for us."

"You're nervous though, I can tell. You rarely give off nervous energy so it's kind of noticeable when you do. I remember the first time you were nervous about kids. You weren't sure how to tell your parents you were pregnant with Adrienne."

" _They're going to think we're crazy, irresponsible even."_

" _They won't think either of those things. We're married and we want this, we're ready."_

" _They still think we're crazy for getting married so young."_

" _We're only crazy in love."_

" _You are a cheese ball Thomas Adam Riley, a giant ball of cheese."_

_Tom placed a kiss on his wife's cheek and another on her already growing belly. She was already over 5 months along and while Tom had been excited to tell his parents their news, Chloe had been hesitant. She had been making excuses since she started showing about not being able to visit them. She told them she was busy with work, that Tom was busy, that they had a lot on their plates but her parents had stopped buying it. They wanted to see them and they were going to. Chloe's protests couldn't keep them away any longer, they were on their way to Atlanta and they were due in the next few hours. Chloe couldn't stop the nerves that were overtaking her. She couldn't help but think of everything that could be said that would make this visit a disaster. Her parents weren't entirely unsupportive, they just thought Tom and Chloe were young and naive and rushing into things. Chloe was sure that they would find the idea of them bringing a baby into their lives this soon to be absolutely nuts, and she was right._

_The first thing Mrs. Beale said when Chloe finally blurted out their good news was that they were insane. Insane to want a kid this young, and that they had their whole lives ahead of them to have kids. They should have thought more about this before just going ahead with it, and on and on she ranted. It wasn't until Chloe's father politely asked her to shut her trap that she finally stopped. Chloe was surprised by his forcefulness but by the end of his rather curt speech Chloe knew that he was on board. Essentially he said that there's no reason to argue about something that's already happening and that they should just be happy about the new addition to the family. From that point on Chloe knew there was no further reason to be nervous. Her mother would come around, and her father already had. Like Chloe and Tom and Tom's parents her own parents were now excited about the prospect of their first grandchild. Once they met Adrienne that apprehensive excitement turned to pure joy and elation and the rest is family history._

"I remember that well, who knew my father would be the one to actually stick up for us?"

The two of them laughed, remembering just how crazy everyone thought they were at the beginning of their marriage.

"They weren't right you know."

"What?" Chloe asked, slightly confused. Tom had a serious look on his face and she knew the conversation had now shifted.

"About us, they weren't right. Even though we're here now and we're not together anymore, we weren't crazy. We did what we thought was right at the time and what made us happy. We had a good life; we have a good life still. We may not have ended up in the place we thought we would ten years ago, but that doesn't mean they were right."

Chloe smiled and nodded.

"We weren't crazy," she agreed, wrapping an arm around Tom's shoulder.

After dinner was served and the plates were cleared away and cleaned Chloe was finally ready to go home. She packed the kids and their stuff into her van and they said their weekly goodbye to Tom. He would see them in less than 24 hours when he picked them up from school on Monday afternoon but it was a weekly ritual nonetheless. Hugs were exchanged and tears were shed but soon enough they were on the road. Just hours ago her brain was filled with nervous thoughts and uncertainty but driving home it was as clear as day. She even turned up the radio slightly and laughed as Adrienne and Alyson began to sing along with Pink. Chloe was back to being the regular, self-assured red head she's always been, not a hint of doubt plaguing her thoughts. Now she can't wait to call Beca and arrange things. It's been a full week since their conversation and she's not entirely sure what has been going through the brunette's mind since she asked about meeting the kids.

It was Beca who found herself at Aubrey's house to talk on the same evening that Chloe had drove past the place, deciding it was better if she didn't go in. It felt odd as she sat across from the blonde and sipped tea from a mug emblazoned with a picture of the most adorable blonde twins she had ever seen. They hadn't exactly been the best of friends at Barden and they certainly hadn't spoken to each other much over the last ten years. Since getting together with Chloe though Beca had spent a bit of time with Aubrey, mostly out for coffee with her and her girlfriend. In all the time they spent together though, Beca and Aubrey had rarely had a conversation involving just the two of them. Chloe was their catalyst for being together at all and she was normally the one who spearheaded their conversations. Today though Aubrey seemed like the only person Beca could talk to and not just because she had started to vomit from stress and nerves.

Aubrey knew Chloe better than anyone, they had been best friends for longer than Beca had known either of them and that made Aubrey the ideal candidate for this conversation. Beca was incredibly nervous about the possibility of meeting Chloe's children and she didn't know anyone else who would understand. Her friends didn't know Chloe and they had never been in a similar situation. They were all either still single and playing the field or happily married. None of them were dating a married woman with kids and that made them entirely useless to talk to. Even another friend with divorced parents might have helped but Beca didn't have any of those either. Beca had Aubrey and even though the blonde was shocked when Beca called her, she was still eager to help.

"They're adorable," Beca remarked of the picture on her mug.

"Yes they are," Aubrey smiled proudly. "Even cuter in person," she added.

As they walked into the living room with their tea Beca grew even more nervous. She had never been around children before. She didn't know how to act around them, how to talk to them and she certainly didn't know how to make them like her. She smiled nervously at the twins as they ran around at the living room busily, playing and laughing. Definitely even cuter in person she thought to herself, amazed that the thought had even crossed her mind.

"So, you're nervous about meeting Chloe's kids?"

"Yeah, I mean I don't want to mess it up. Things are good between us but what if the kids hate me?"

Aubrey laughed at the notion, "They won't. They may not warm up to you immediately but those kids are awesome and I can't see any of them hating you. They're sweet like Chloe, especially Adrienne. Adley is just like his father. Alyson is kind of the perfect mixture of both of them, but even crazier than Chloe if you can imagine that. They'll like you though…eventually."

Beca felt only slightly reassured by her words, especially since she had made a point to stress the word eventually.

"I don't know the first thing about kids though. How do you get them to like you?"

"No one does at first Beca, and you don't, they just do. It's kind of trial and error; if whatever you're doing first isn't working on the little munchkins, try something else."

Beca sighed, it wasn't the advice she was really hoping for. She knew Aubrey thought she was being helpful, but she was more nervous than ever now. There were so many variables, so many things she could do or say that may make the children dislike her.

"Here," Aubrey spoke up again, this time placing a tiny blonde toddler in her lap. Both Aubrey and the little girl laughed at the way Beca's face contorted in confusion and fear. The little giggle Gwen let out though immediately helped Beca to loosen up. This wasn't so bad. This was the first time she had ever held a child and it wasn't screaming bloody murder, she could consider this a small victory. She sat there with Gwen in her arms and just stared down at her chubby cheeks and tiny blonde curls. Gwen stared back up at her and considered her as well. It was seconds before she felt a tiny finger poke her face. Gwen was poking her and giggling heartily. It was a few more moments before Beca finally caught up and began to play with the little girl. Beca tickled her and poked at her nose, smiling at the laughter that erupted from the small child. It was something so simple but Beca couldn't remember ever having more fun. Eventually Beca could see that all the excitement had tired the little one out. Soon the laughter that filled the living room was replaced with tiny snores. Beca's heart melted at the sight of the little blonde laying on her shoulder fast asleep.

"Goodnight Beca, you'll do great." Aubrey whispered this as she took her little girl from Beca's arms. Beca smiled at the pair one last time and waved goodbye as she walked out the door of her friend's house.

"Thank you," she mouthed as she disappeared down the steps.

She had gotten so much more out of her time with Gwen than she had out of any of Aubrey's words. She was still nervous about meeting Chloe's kids, but less so than she was just a few hours ago. Gwen was the first child she had ever spent a significant amount of time with and things had gone better than she ever imagined. Maybe she could do this. It would be different with older kids, but it was still the same idea. Be open to them and hope they'll open up to you. Beca could do this. As soon as she got home she would call Chloe to find out how things went with Tom and then they could set everything up. A future with Chloe meant a future with Chloe's kids and thankfully after tonight Beca was slightly more confident that she could handle that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's Sunday which means it's time I updated this story. I've been crazy busy but I've still had plenty of ideas flowing through my brain for this one. It's finally time Beca meets Chloe's kids. Hopefully you'll like where I've decided to go with it. As always to anyone who leaves their feedback in the form of reviews, comments or Tumblr messages (shesamarshmallow) you are awesome and I really appreciated it. It gives me a nice vote of confidence whenever I see that someone is really enjoying the story so keep them coming. To everyone who is following and reading thank you and much love; I hope you'll continue to enjoy Beca and Chloe's journey.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Chloe greeted her still yawning child brightly as she took the seat next to her.

It was Saturday morning but with Tom away on a business trip they had agreed to a switch. Chloe would have their kids all weekend and Tom would come back on Sunday night and take them for the week. She smiled as Adrienne cuddled into her side. It was so rare now for her to see her children on the weekend; she had forgotten how much she missed Saturday morning cuddles. Chloe had been watching the news but flipped the channels remembering that Adrienne's favourite cartoon would be starting soon. As Adrienne got comfortable Chloe turned up the volume and wrapped an arm around her daughter. She knew Adrienne was very much her mother's daughter when the silly singing on the show began. Adrienne loved all things musical, the more singing in a TV show or movie the better for the little red head. It was on the next commercial break that Chloe finally spoke up again, not wanting to interrupt the sing-a-long her daughter was so clearly enjoying.

"Sweetheart, do you think we could talk?"

Adrienne turned to her mother and smiled the smile that always told Chloe everything would be alright.

"Sure, about what?"

"I just want to talk to you about mommy and daddy and all the changes that have been going on."

Chloe noticed that her little girl's face visibly fell at her words but she continued on, it was a conversation they needed to have.

"I don't know how much you know or understand about everything. I know we've talk to you a bit, but how are you feeling?"

Adrienne took a deep breath before answering her mother, she was only eight but Chloe knew she could handle the conversation. She was mature for her age and bright, something Chloe was very proud of.

"At first I was really sad, but now I feel better. We still see each other all the time and you and daddy are really nice to each other. When my friend Stacey's parents got a divorce, she said they were mean and yelled a lot but you don't yell. You're really happy now and everything feels..." Adrienne stopped for a moment, thinking about the word she wanted to use. "Lighter. Everything feels lighter than when we lived all together. Do you know what I mean?"

"I know what you mean baby. So you're okay now? You don't feel sad about us not being together anymore."

"Sometimes I do, but then I talk to daddy and I feel okay again. He tells me that it's okay to feel sad but we are still a family and everyone is healthy and okay. He says you're really happy too and that it's a good thing for everyone."

Chloe wasn't sure why she was shocked by the fact that her daughter had talked to Tom; he had always been good at the talking thing and he was a great father. She had never had any boundaries and found herself able to talk to anyone, but Tom was always the one with the right words to say. Adrienne's personality was also a lot like his. She may look like Chloe and share her love of music, but otherwise she'd swear her and Tom shared a brain. They experienced the world and felt in the same way so really it shouldn't surprise Chloe that Tom could make her feel better about everything.

"Well I'm glad you talk to daddy when you feel sad. You know you can always talk to me too, or anyone when you're not feeling okay right?"

Adrienne just nodded. The two sat for a few moments, just digesting everything that had been said. Chloe tightened her grip on her daughter slightly and leaned down to press a kiss to her head.

* * *

_Tom wiped the tears from his wife's eyes as she stared down into her arms. She couldn't take her eyes off the bundle of pink blankets. She had imagined this moment for months but she could never imagine the rush of emotion and the seemingly infinite amount of loved that now enveloped her. There was nothing like this feeling in the world._

" _She's so beautiful," Chloe said, choking back more tears._

" _Just like her mother."_

" _I love her so much. I don't think I will ever be happier than in this moment."_

" _You will, just wait until we have a few more and you have so many kids to love you don't know what to do with yourself."_

" _Sounds like a plan Tom Riley."_

_Tom leaned in and kissed her lips, soft and sweet; a kiss that meant so much more than ever before. This one said he loved her not only as his best friend and wife but as the mother of their beautiful new daughter. He took a seat on the edge of the hospital bed and pushed the red locks out of Chloe's eyes before turning to get another look at his daughter._

" _Have you decided on a name yet?" he asked, both of them agreeing that she had final say on the name of their first born._

" _Adrienne," Chloe answered, eyes still locked firmly on their now sleeping newborn._

" _Adrienne Jennifer Riley," Tom announced, I like it. Jennifer was his mother's name and the pre-agreed upon middle name for their first child should it be a daughter._

" _It's perfect. Now, can you call our parents and Aubrey to come down and see our perfect little girl?"_

_Tom placed a kiss on his wife's forehead and began to rummage through the haphazardly packed bag for a cell phone. "I'm on it."_

* * *

"Who's Beca?" Those were the next words out of Adrienne's mouth and not ones Chloe had ever expected to hear her daughter speak.

Chloe had to think about her answer, careful not to blurt anything out. There was so much she could say about Beca but this conversation had to go smoothly.

Before her mother could get anything out though, Adrienne spoke up again. "I'm just asking because I overheard daddy talking about her on the phone to a friend. He said you love her. Is that true?"

It was the first time in her entire life that she couldn't read her daughter's expression. Her face was entirely blank, Chloe didn't know one way or the other if her answer would upset her or if she would stay calm.

"Yeah, that's true. Beca is someone I've known for a long time, and someone I care a lot about. I have recently started dating her, so Beca is my girlfriend and I do love her, very much. I know that might be a lot to take in, but if you have any questions you can ask me anything, okay?"

"Okay. Is Beca nice?"

"Very nice; you know she's not even a good baker but sometimes on Saturdays she bakes me chocolate chip cookies. You know how much I love chocolate chip cookies."

"A lot," Adrienne laughed cheerfully.

"Exactly, and she loves me a lot so she bakes me chocolate chip cookies even though she's not a big fan of baking."

"That's really nice. She must be really nice. Can I meet her?"

The question shocked Chloe, more so than anything else they talked about today. She had been planning to ask Adrienne if she'd be okay with meeting her girlfriend, but she hadn't expected her to ask to meet the woman. It wasn't something she had prepared a response for, even if the answer was yes.

"Actually yes; I had been meaning to ask you about that. Beca wants to meet you too, and Adley and Aly."

"She does?" Now it was Adrienne's turn to be shocked.

"Yep, she's really excited about meeting you guys."

* * *

Beca wiped the sweat from her palms on her jeans for the fourth time in the last twenty minutes. Any reassurance she had gotten from meeting Aubrey's kids had vanished with the text message she just received from Chloe. It said that she should come over today for lunch and that she could meet the kids then. Beca knew Tom was away on business and Chloe had told her that he was okay with her meeting the kids. It was only a matter of time before she would actually get to do it, but in this moment she wasn't ready. All the nervous thoughts she had been having over the past few weeks were clouding her brain. As she looked down at her phone to read the message again she saw another new message from her girlfriend.

_I talked to Adrienne this morning, she asked to meet you. I'll talk to Adley and Aly before you get here. They love new people so I'm sure they'll be excited. See you at 12, xoxo._

_See you then love, xoxo._

She paced around her living room for a little while longer after she sent the text. Today was a big day, she didn't know when she woke up that it would be but it felt like a big day now. This was important to her relationship with Chloe, and it was a big step. Meeting the kids probably meant playing some role in their lives and Beca had never played a role in any child's life, big or small.

Just after 11:30 she got in her car. She had driven to Chloe's house numerous times in the past eight months, but this time it felt different. She wasn't just going over to have a low key afternoon with her girlfriend. Beca actually had no idea what the afternoon would entail. What did meeting kids mean? Presumably they would have lunch since Chloe had mentioned lunch so there would be that, but what about after lunch? She couldn't let the questions, the nerves, everything that felt strange about this overwhelm her. Beca took a deep breath and tried her hardest to remember why she was doing this; because she loved Chloe and because she wanted to. Beca remembered that, she wanted to do this; it was her that brought it up, and asked to do this. The brunette took that as a sign that she could do this, deep down when she asked she knew she was asking because she was ready.

* * *

"Hey!" Chloe beamed opening up the door to her house. "I've missed you," this was said quickly just before Beca received a big, welcoming kiss on the lips. Beca's absolute favourite thing about seeing Chloe on the weekend after spending all week apart was the kisses they shared. Each one felt like coming home, like something was missing until she got that kiss. Every ounce of passion they couldn't release during the week came to a head when they finally saw each other and it was nice.

"God I've missed you too," Beca said pulling away from their kiss.

"Come on in, the kids are in the kitchen. I'm making my famous grilled cheese."

"What makes it famous?" Beca laughed.

"Well it has ham in it, and I call it famous."

Chloe linked her arm with Beca's and lead the brunette to her kitchen. There Chloe's three young children sat waiting for them. Beca wasn't at all shocked to find they were even cuter in person than in the photographs she had seen. Adrienne looked so much like her mother, right down to the curly red locks. Adley looked a bit like Tom but with the same flaming red hair as his mother and older sister. The smallest one, Alyson was a brunette like her father and had his eyes and smile. Beca hadn't seen Tom very much but she never forgot his smile. It was always so bright and friendly no matter whom he was looking at. All three of the children stared at her as she walked into the room with Chloe.

Chloe cleared her throat before addressing them, "Kids this is Beca. Beca is my girlfriend and she came over today to meet you guys."

Beca wasn't sure if she should speak up but added an awkward, "Your mom has told me all about how awesome you guys are so I thought I should find out for myself."

Chloe's kids just kept on staring; it was unnerving really but she pressed on. The brunette took a seat at the table and Chloe made her way into the kitchen to finishing preparing their lunch. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke up again and this time it was little Alyson.

"So mommy you have a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend?"

"Yes baby, is that okay with you?" Chloe called from her spot at the stove.

"Yes."

Beca found herself a little shocked by the blunt and succinct answer from the child but relieved nonetheless. She hadn't even thought of the possibility that Chloe's children might find it strange for her to be dating another woman. She was so worried about them liking her that it hadn't even crossed her mind. The innocent question brought her some relief though; obviously the fact that she was a woman wasn't going to be any issue. It was just everything else about her that she had to worry about now.

* * *

"Would you like to colour with me?" Alyson asked. It took Beca a moment to realize the little girl was looking right at her and addressing her directly.

"Umm, yeah, sure. I like to colour," Beca answered awkwardly. This whole thing was new to her, but she was trying.

Beca watched as the small girl grabbed her colouring book and crayons and climbed down from her chair. She walked the few steps across the floor towards Beca and climbed up into her lap. She laid out the colouring book flat in front of them and began to colour. She turned her head slightly and addressed Beca again when the brunette didn't pick up any crayons.

"I thought you wanted to colour."

Beca was stunned really; she hadn't expected this reaction at all. Never having been around children she certainly didn't expect them to like her right away. Chloe turned away from her cooking momentarily to watch the scenario unfold. It was a relief to see Alyson had obviously taken to the woman. She watched as Alyson offered Beca a green crayon and as Beca took it and began to colour in the picture Aly had been working on.

"You colour so good Beca, all your colours are in the lines."

It had taken a while but the shock had finally worn off and Beca smiled at the compliment. "You can colour like this too, do you want me to show you some tricks for colouring in between the lines?"

"Yes!" the small girl cheered, grabbing another colour and watching intently as Beca demonstrated.

Soon the grilled cheese sandwiches were ready and Chloe instructed Alyson to put away her colouring book so it wouldn't get dirty with food. Beca expected her to go back to her own seat but instead little Alyson remained seated on her lap. Alyson adjusted their plates and glasses so that they could both share the area and eat together.

Beca stayed mostly silent as they enjoyed their lunch. She wasn't entirely sure what to say and she was still adjusting to the very new situation she found herself in. It was Chloe who made the first attempt at striking up a conversation between Beca and her older children. Adrienne and Adley had remained silent the entire time, just watching Beca and waiting for their lunch.

"So Adley, why don't you tell Beca about the book you're reading? She thinks sharks are cool."

"Yeah, it's about sharks," the boy said, turning his attention right back to his lunch.

"Okay. Adrienne, how about you tell us about your dance class?"

"I don't really want to talk about it. We've got a big recital coming up; I don't want to jinx anything. We're still practicing."

"Fair enough," Beca tried to chime in, "I know how it can be when you're really in the zone and you just want to keep everything to yourself until you get it right."

"Yeah, it's like Beca said mom. I'm really in the zone."

Beca thought she may be getting somewhere with Chloe's older daughter but she too went right back to staring down at her sandwich. The conversation was going nowhere fast and neither of the older children really seemed interested in talking to her.

"You know you can ask me anything you want guys? I find asking questions is a good way to get to know people."

Beca had hoped one of the older children might think of something to ask but it was Alyson that spoke up again.

"Do you like muffins?" the little girl asked enthusiastically. Chloe grinned knowing her daughter's fondness for the snack.

"I do like muffins, my favourite kind are blueberry, what about yours?"

"I love all muffins!" she shouted with glee, "especially banana nut though."

Beca laughed softly at the little one's enthusiasm about muffins. If she got that excited about baked goods Beca was sure they could get along. The rest of the meal Beca found herself being quizzed by Alyson about all her favourite things. The child would giggle whenever she and Beca agreed on a favourite and fold her arms and scowl dramatically when they disagreed. She was shocked to find Beca was not a fan of orange juice or pickles, two of her favourites. Chloe just watched the two of them banter back and forth and smiled. There was something about watching Beca interact with her young daughter that made her love the brunette even more.

* * *

When lunch was finished Beca helped Chloe clear the plates off the table and wash the dishes. They had shared a meal before and cleaned up but this time was different. As Beca took a look back at the table where the children still sat she found herself thinking about the future; their future. Maybe at some point in the future this would be a regular occurrence. Maybe someday they'd even have another kid or two joining them. Beca shook the thoughts from her mind. It was much too early to be thinking that far into the future; she just wanted to get through this day now. Still though, the future, her future with Chloe always made her smile. Beca leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her girlfriend's cheek. No ridiculous PDA in front of the children, but a small gesture to express her feelings in the moment.

"Can we go and play in our rooms?" Adley asked suddenly.

Chloe sighed, "Well we were going to watch a movie together, but if you want to go and play go ahead."

Adley and Adrienne both got up and went in the direction of their rooms.

"I'll check on you guys in a bit okay, let me know if you need anything," she yelled after her kids.

Chloe had planned their whole day. They were going to eat lunch and watch a movie, then take a trip to the park and library before coming back to the house for dinner. Chloe was planning on ordering her kids' favourite pizza. It was going to be the perfect Saturday but she wasn't going to force them into anything. As much as she wanted them to spend time with Beca, she didn't want to risk upsetting them. Nor did she want to make them do something they weren't interested in; at least not right now. She would talk to them later about how they were feeling, for now she would give them their space. She wanted them to like Beca, but she needed them to come around on their own terms.

* * *

"I guess it's just the three of us then," Chloe said smiling down at her youngest child.

"Can we watch a princess movie?"

Before Chloe had a chance to groan and steer her daughter in a different direction Beca spoke up.

"Of course we can watch a princess movie. Go and pick out your favourite."

The two women watched as Alyson raced off to go find the DVD of her favourite princess movie.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "You want to watch a princess movie?"

"I want to spend time with you and get to know her."

"Well then, a princess movie it is."

Chloe and Beca settled in on the couch in front of the TV and waited for Alyson to return with the movie. The red head took the opportunity to give Beca another quick kiss on the lips before her daughter returned.

"I love you Beca," she whispered in the other woman's ear.

"I love you too."

It was then that the tiny brunette came bounding back into the living room; princess DVD and magic wand in hand. She put the disc in the player and made her way over to the couch to join them. Chloe couldn't help but laugh when Alyson squeezed in between the two of them rather than taking the seat she'd saved next to her. The little girl rested her head against her mother's arm and clapped excitedly as the movie began. It was probably Chloe's fifteenth time seeing this particular princess movie but this time she didn't mind one bit. Saturdays were normally spent enjoying her time with Beca but this was even better.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's been awhile since I've updated this story so my apologies for that. Your patience my lovely readers is greatly appreciated. Going into this chapter I wasn't exactly sure where it was going or how I was going to end it. Turns out, this is the final chapter of More Than A Memory. It just felt right to end it here, the story I set out to tell has been told. There will be an Epilogue set at some point in the future though, so you will get a taste of what the future holds for Beca and Chloe. I hope you enjoy the ending and I do hope you have enjoyed this story.
> 
> As always your feedback in the form of comments, reviews and Tumblr messages (shesamarshmallow) is extremely helpful, and really it just makes me smile. So if you've read this story, I'd love to know your thoughts.

"If you keep wringing your hands like that they might fall off."

Beca looked up at the source of the voice, visibly surprised. She had been sitting on the steps in front of Chloe's house alone for over an hour. After their "movie date" Saturday night the red head had invited Beca to come back the next day, for another shot at getting to know her kids. It had been nice Beca thought of the previous night; she had enjoyed spending time with both Chloe and Alyson. The princess movie had even been kind of cute, even if the brunette would never admit that out loud.

"Uh…hey Tom. Sorry, I was just…"

"Debating whether or not you're going to go inside?"

Beca sighed loudly, "yeah."

For the second time in the past ten minutes Beca found herself in shock as Tom took a seat next to her on the porch. Silence enveloped the pair as they sat and stared off into space. Beca hadn't seen Tom since their years at Barden and even back then she hadn't spent much time with him. Thinking back Beca remembered how little Chloe actually brought Tom around when she was with her friends. It had never struck her as odd back then; now that she thought about it though, it was. It was as if Tom and Chloe had always existed in their own little world and in the harsh light of reality the cracks in their relationship started to show. She wondered if it was because of her that Chloe never brought Tom when she hung out with the Bellas; she being one of the biggest cracks in their relationship after all. She shook the thought from her head and continued to sit in silence. She wasn't entirely sure what she should say to the man, she was after all, dating his wife.

It was a while before either of them spoke up but eventually Beca managed to get out what had been on her mind since Tom's arrival.

"I thought you were on a business trip." It came out more curt than she meant it, but she went with it.

"I was, but the boss had to cut it short. I got back about an hour ago and I guess the first thing I wanted to do when I got home was come see the people I love."

"Right…I should go then," Beca said getting up to leave.

"Hang on. You're here because Chloe invited you right?"

"Well yeah, but I don't want to get in your way."

"Don't leave; she'll be disappointed. I can come back later, but first tell me why you've been sitting out here alone all morning."

"Your kids hate me," Beca admittedly sheepishly.

Tom couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud at the notion. "I seriously doubt that."

"They wouldn't even talk to me yesterday. I mean Alyson did, but otherwise they wanted nothing to do with me."

Tom thought for a moment before responding, "You have a step mother you're not too fond of right?"

Beca was shocked at this seemingly random turn in the conversation. Not to mention she had no idea how Tom knew that.

"Yeah, Sheila. How did…"

Beca was cut off before she could even ask.

"You think she never talked about you? She loved you, of course she did. I know more about you than you'd probably like to think."

"Oh," was all Beca could say before Tom spoke up again.

"It's just something new for them, something they have to adjust to but they're not sure yet that they want to. I'm sure you remember what that felt like, when your parents split up."

"Yeah," Beca sighed. It was strange how much Tom knew and understood about her despite the fact that she'd spent maybe five hours with him total prior to this.

"They'll come around though. They're good kids and they're smart, I think they'll see how happy you make their mother because I know you do. You just have to find something and relate to them, get down on their level. Let them know you're a friend. Adley for example, he loves books and dinosaurs, he could tell you all about them. Adrienne, she loves to dance and she's a great artist, she especially loves to paint. Aly, I'm sure you've already discovered likes princesses but she also loves to just talk, about anything. She'll talk your ear off if you let her and you should because she's sweet. Just give them a chance and they'll give you one."

Tom smiled brightly as he talked to Beca about his children. Things were different now, and not at all like he had imagined his life would turn out. If he let them though, things could be good again. As long as his family was happy, that's all that mattered. When he told Beca that he knew she makes Chloe happy, he meant it.

"I guess I'm going inside then." Beca turned towards the door, her hand poised to knock before she turned back around. "Thank you though."

"You do what you have to right." Tom turned away and walked back to his car giving Beca one last small smile before starting the engine.

* * *

Beca turned back around and knocked gently on the front door. It was a few minutes before she could hear movement from inside but eventually she was greeted by the sweet smile she had some to know and love, again.

"Morning Beca," Chloe greeted, placing a kiss on the brunette's cheek as she opened the door.

"Morning. Sorry I'm late, I was just…"

"Sitting on my porch for the last two hours?" Chloe questioned knowingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you come out if you knew I was just sitting out here?"

"I figured you needed your space. If you wanted to come in, you would have. You needed to decide if this is something you still want. I'm just hoping since you knocked that you decided to give it another go."

Beca nodded, smiling. "I do, and a little birdie may have given me some tips to make it easier."

"Tom texted me," Chloe laughed, "and I saw him through the window. You do know windows are see through right?"

* * *

Beca nudged her girlfriend playfully before taking her hand as they walked through the house. The brunette took a deep breath as they reached the living room. All three of Chloe's children were seated around the coffee table, pieces to a board game skewed around the room.

"You got room for two more?" Chloe asked taking a seat on the floor next to her eldest daughter.

A hint of hesitation was audible in his voice but Beca breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the words "yeah" come out of Adley's mouth.

"We were going to play Monopoly if you want to play."

"I'd love to," Beca smiled at the boy, "which piece can I be?"

"Mom's always the dog, so you can be the car if you want?"

The young boy looked at her expectantly. There was a marked changed in his attitude towards her that Beca was sure had something to do with Chloe.

"Great," Beca said grabbing the small silver piece and taking a seat on the floor. She smiled when Alyson moved in her direction and took a seat in her lap. The atmosphere in the house was decidedly warmer than the day prior. The five of them smiled and laughed as they played the game. Adrienne beat all of them handily, impressing Beca with her strategic play at only 8 years old.

"I never had siblings," the brunette said defending her last place finish. "I didn't have anyone to play board games with."

"Now you have us," Adrienne smiled.

"Yeah, yeah I do."

Beca could see the slightest hint of tears forming in her girlfriend's eyes and chuckled lightly. The red head brushed at the corners of her eyes and smiled at her girlfriend across the room.

* * *

"How about you and I go and get some snacks for everyone from the kitchen?"

"Sounds good," Beca said, taking the other woman's hand and getting up off the floor.

"You'll be right back?" Aly asked sweetly.

"Right back Alycat. Promise."

When they reached the kitchen Chloe took a seat at the table, motioning for Beca to join her.

"I thought we were getting snacks?" the brunette questioned.

"We are. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute."

"Okay, we can talk." Beca sat down next to her girlfriend and took her hands in her own. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, you can probably already tell but I talked to Adley and Adrienne last night after you left."

"I figured as much. They're actually talking to me voluntarily."

"They like you, they do. They're both just still trying to adjust to all the changes and not having dad here all the time."

"I know. I had forgotten, I guess since it's been so long, but if I think back to when I was a kid, I remember what that was like. It was hard, and hell I don't think I was nice to Sheila even once in the first few years after she and my dad got together. I just really want them to like me you know, because I love you and I guess I've been thinking more about a future with you lately."

Beca hadn't intended to turn this into such a deep discussion, but the floodgates were open and she just couldn't stop.

"You have?"

"Yeah, I have. Ten years ago we were both so much younger and speaking for myself I was stupid and confused and I didn't know what I wanted. I was and idiot and I let you slip away. Now I'm thanking my lucky stars it's not too late and that you found your way back to me. I never would have taken a leap like this on my own but you've helped me get here. You've helped me grow up and realize what's important in life. You, and loving you, that's important to me. I guess what I'm saying is that I want everything about you to be my everything. I want them to be important to me too you know, as important as they are to you. I like them Chloe, they're sweet and funny and they're yours which means they're perfect. I want you in my future, and by that I mean all four of you."

The tears that had been forming in Chloe's eyes earlier were now gushing out. She hadn't meant to make a big speech, and it was Chloe who said she wanted to talk but it seemed like the right time to let her heart do some talking. It was no good feeling how she felt if she wasn't going to share that with the person who she loved more than anything in the world.

Chloe's hands found their way to Beca's cheeks. Her lips found their way to the other woman's. When she pulled away she was smiling, face still wet with tears but now the brunette's matched.

"Beca I love you so much. Years ago when I daydreamed about my future a lot of the time it included you, until it didn't and it couldn't anymore. It included you until I realized that yours didn't include me and I needed to make a decision to let you go. I let you go once and I never want to do that again. Now when I think about my future, you're there again. Right there next to me and I'm glad that you want my kids to be important to you, because you're important to me. You mean the world to me and then some and so do they. What I'm saying is that I'm glad we're on the same page love, because I'm never letting you slip away again. We missed ten years and I don't want to miss another second."

Beca wiped the still falling tears from her girlfriend's cheeks and pressed another sweet kiss to her lips. "I love you. Now though, should we get those snacks?"

Chloe just laughed, "How does fruit and cheese and crackers sound?"

"It's good with me if the kids like it."

"They love it."

"It's perfect then and that's one more thing I know about them."

"Just a million more to learn then," Chloe smirked.

"Maybe more, but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy every second of the learning process. Can't pass up the opportunity to play games, read stories, ride bikes, go to the park and anything and everything else they want to do."

Chloe beamed, listening to her girlfriend talk about how much fun it was going to be getting to know her kids brought the biggest smile to her face. She couldn't help but stare as Beca threw out ideas for fun things they could do over the summer together. Everything she mentioned was something Chloe knew her children would love. Life didn't get much better than this; moments where you knew everything would be okay. She had been worried before about how her children would adjust and react to Beca, but with every word from Beca's mouth calm washed over the red head. Ten years really did make a difference because the Beca she knew about Barden would never be talking about a trip to the zoo to see pandas.

"Do you think they'd like camping? My family never went camping and I've always wanted to go."

"I think they'd love it."

"Good. Shall we bring out this fruit now?"

"Yeah, let's do that. It's been a while; they'll probably start to wonder if everything is okay if we don't go back in there soon."

Beca grabbed the tray of fruit from Chloe's hands and waited as she picked up the plate of cheese and crackers.

"When you lay the fruit down put the grapes in front of Aly, the banana near Adrienne and the watermelon facing Adley. Those are their favourites," Chloe advised.

"Make that 999 999 things I need to learn about them then," Beca chuckled.

* * *

The afternoon was spent playing what seemed like endless rounds of Monopoly, watching a few episodes of Adley's favourite cartoon, listening to Aly's stories and watching as Adrienne painted pictures on the floor. By the time evening darkness fell over the house everyone was tired, but happy. The day had certainly brought Beca closer to Chloe's older children. Adrienne had spent an hour telling Beca about her dance classes and then quizzing her on her own hobbies. Beca was pleasantly surprised when the young girl seemed to enjoy her explanation of how she mixes a song.

Beca found that what Tom said about Adley proved to be true as well, his love of dinosaurs and books evident when he showed Beca his big book of facts about dinosaurs. She listened as he described a few of his favourite types and showed her their pictures. Aly who had immediately taking a liking to her the day prior hugged Beca goodnight before she left, whispering in her ear about a new princess movie that was coming out soon. Beca promised to watch it with her before wishing her a final goodnight. She knew Tom would be back soon and she didn't want to keep him from seeing his family again.

Beca still felt slightly guilty about taking time with his kids away from Tom. He had assured her not to worry about it before leaving earlier in the day, but she couldn't help it. As much as she was starting to plan a future that involved Chloe and three of the most adorable kids she had ever met, at the end of the day they were still Tom's kids. Even though she had loved spending the whole day with Chloe and the kids, there was still a nagging feeling that she was interfering with a happy family.

Chloe had gotten to know her all over again though and she could almost see the wheels turning in the brunette's head as they stood on the porch. They were standing exactly where Beca had sat all morning, avoiding entering the house. Chloe looped her arms around Beca's neck and pulled her in close for a goodnight kiss.

"Don't worry about it Beca," she said, shocking the brunette.

"How did you know I was worrying?"

"I know you. I told you, Tom texted me earlier. He said it was cool and to have a good time, which we did. He's taking the kids all week; he'll have his time with them. He doesn't love not being here all the time like he used to be, but he's dealing with it. He just wants all of us to be happy, and he knows you make me incredibly happy. He also thinks you'll be good to the kids, so don't worry."

"You realize your ex-husband is a Saint right?"

Chloe laughed, "Well, I do have great taste in partners, wouldn't you say?"

Beca's hands snaked around her girlfriend's waist. "I hate to say you do, but you do."

"Confidence, very hot Beca."

"Mhmm," was the only sound the brunette could make as the other woman's lips enveloped her own in one final kiss.

"As much as I'd love to continue this I have some kids to get ready for the week. I'm free all week though, so I'm hoping you're open to overnight guests."

"So formal, yet so seductive. I'm definitely open to overnight guests so take this as my official invitation for you to stay with me this week. We can spend some time together, just the two of us, for more than a day."

"I'm looking forward to it already Beca. Goodnight babe. I love you."

"I love you too, goodnight."

As Beca made her way back to her car she couldn't help but think about the upcoming week. Over the course of their relationship they had spent mostly just scattered days together alone. It had been frustrating, but doable. Anytime they did get to spend together was bittersweet, knowing the next day would be the first day of many days they would be spending apart. This weekend was a turning point in their relationship. Meeting Chloe's kids meant she could spend time with Chloe whenever she wanted, even if it was Chloe's week to have the kids.

As she laid her head down to sleep, she thought about her situation. This weekend was the first step towards her future with Chloe and as nervous as that made Beca it also brought her great joy. Beca was old enough and mature enough now that she was ready to have a future with someone, instead of running away from one like she had done so many times before. She had left Chloe back at Barden, she had left Jesse at the altar but this time, she wasn't going anywhere. Her relationship with Chloe was finally more than a distant memory, and she intended to keep it that way.

**The End**


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's been a while since I finished the story but I still wanted to post the epilogue as promised. It takes place 10 years after the end of More Than A Memory. Just a taste of what Beca and Chloe have been up to over the years since they finally got together. I just want to thank everyone who has followed this story one more time. Reading your feedback and just knowing that people were reading and enjoying the story was great motivation. I hope you'll enjoy this ending and as always your feedback is welcome.

"Oh my god, I can't believe how big he's gotten. It's only been a couple weeks since I last saw him and wow; look at those gorgeous, curly blonde locks."

Chloe reached an arm out, running her hand through the young boy's soft hair. "Gorgeous and his smile reminds me so much of Adley's when he was that age."

"They both definitely have Tom's smile," the woman in the doorway agreed, so does Asher. "You make some handsome sons Tom Riley," his wife said, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"And beautiful daughters," Chloe added as she motioned behind her at their now 14 year old daughter Alyson.

Dressed in a yellow sun dress and playing with her younger siblings in the grass behind their house Tom smiled at his daughter. Chloe had decided to throw their eldest daughter Adrienne a party to celebrate her graduation from high school which meant all of their family and friends were coming together on this sunny afternoon. 3 years after his divorce from Chloe her ex-husband Tom had walked down the aisle for a second time. This meant that ten years later the family was very different, a lot bigger and a lot happier. It had been a long and sometimes bumpy road to get to this point but everyone was happy and ready to celebrate such a joyous occasion.

* * *

" _The last time I was at Tom's wedding I had a decidedly better vantage point," Chloe whispered in Beca's ear, laughing._

_The bride, a gorgeous, blonde woman just shy of 30 walked down the aisle in her stunning white dress. You couldn't help but watch as she smiled brighter than the sun. A smile that let Chloe and everyone else in the room know just how incredibly happy she was to be walking towards Tom. She had met him three years prior under much more unfortunate circumstances and it was a relief that they had made it to this day._

_When Tom met Sienna he had been admitted to the hospital after an accident that could have been fatal. One slippery diving board and a severe head injury later and Chloe watched as her former husband began bleeding to death on the ground. Beca called emergency services as all the red head could do was cry; she was inconsolable. It was the worst day of his life, but it had led to one of the best days. As he recovered in the hospital he met the beautiful girl that stood before him on this day. She was there visiting a friend after a minor surgery. Having lost her fiancé and first love just a few years prior she wasn't looking for a relationship but sometimes love doesn't wait until you're ready. They fell head over heels in love, got engaged a year later and a year after that here they stood._

_Chloe couldn't help the happy tears that streamed down her face as they said "I do." She would always love Tom as a friend, as the father of her children and as someone who she wanted great happiness for. Seeing him find love again made her heart swell. She genuinely wished them the best. Sienna was good for Tom, Chloe knew that and she couldn't help but believe that everything had happened for a reason. They were never meant to be, right here, and with the people they were with right now, that's what's was meant to be, and Chloe couldn't be happier._

" _Are you crying?" Chloe teased the brunette next to her._

" _No, I just have something in my eye," she defended sharply._

" _Sure,"_

" _What? I'm happy for him okay, he's a good guy."_

" _I know."_

* * *

"Beautiful daughters indeed, speaking of which, where is Adrienne?" Tom asked curiously. It was her party but he had yet to see the girl make an appearance.

"Not sure actually, might be with Beca, I haven't seen her around in a while either."

"I'm sure they'll be down soon," Sienna assured them, "probably just putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Isn't that her boyfriend Jason over there?"

Tom scowled slightly at the mention of the name. Jason was a nice boy from a nice family but he was Adrienne's first boyfriend and no one was good enough for his daughter.

Upstairs Adrienne sat on her bed, crushing the ruffles on the gorgeous dress her mother had bought her for the occasion. She could see out her window that her family and friends had all arrived to celebrate with her, but something stopped her from going down. She watched for a while as her siblings played. It looked like they were playing tag, Aaron's favourite game. The five year old laughed gleefully as he tapped his older brother Asher on the leg and yelled "you're it."

It used to be just the three of them, Adrienne, her brother Adley and their little sister Alyson; in the last ten years though their family had grown so much. When her father married Sienna they had two sons, 5 year old Aaron and 3 year old Adam. She was so used to having just one brother but she had come to really love those little guys. Tom and Sienna thought about having one more and trying for a girl, but Sienna said she was perfectly happy with the two daughters she already had.

When her mother and Beca got married two years after they began dating, they weren't sure about having more kids. Beca said she was happy to just raise the children she had already come to love. She never wanted them to feel left out or like she loved them any less and she wasn't sure what a new baby would do to the family. When it came down to it though both women decided they did want to have a baby together. Now they couldn't imagine life without their 7 year old son Asher and 5 year old daughter Amelia. They fit into the family just right and were more than adored by their older siblings.

Chloe, Beca, Tom and Sienna find themselves incredibly grateful every day that all 7 siblings get along well and love each other as much as they do. They had expected some reluctance on the part of the older children at first, but they overcame the challenges together, just like everything else life had thrown at them. Chloe and Tom's divorce had been hard on their kids, and their parent's remarriages had induced a lot of mixes feelings but in the end they were all a family. As strange as it seemed to everyone else, they wouldn't have things any other way. Now, Adrienne's days were never complete without a Skype call from Tom, Sienna, Aaron and Adam to say goodnight.

* * *

"Hey beautiful, shouldn't you be down enjoying your party?" Beca asked the 18 year old who she found sitting crossed legged on the twin bed that was still adorned with pink sheets in her bedroom.

It was crazy to her that she had an 18 year old daughter, but she couldn't ask for a better one. Adrienne had grown up to be very kind, smart, beautiful and just a great girl all around. Beca liked to think she had a least a little to do with that, but was adamant that Chloe and Tom had done all of the hard work.

"Yeah, I was just about to go down. I was just…" her voice trailed off and Beca could hear the sadness. It was rare that Adrienne got this upset so it was noticeable to Beca.

"What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything right?"

"I know," Adrienne sniffed, the tears were flowing now and Beca felt arms wrap around her. She pressed a kiss to the young girl's head and hugged her tight. "I love you." It was muffled and said through tears but Beca heard it.

"I love you too; now tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm worried about next year. I'm scared to go off to college and leave home. I feel safe here. I'm just going to miss everyone. I'll miss mom and dad and Adley, Alyson, Adam, Aaron, Asher and Amelia. I'll miss Sienna and Aubrey and Simon and Garrett, Gwen, Danielle and Brian and you, so much. You've all been here for me for so long and you love me and everything is good here, at home, with my family. I have amazing parents, you and Sienna included in that and when I go away to school, you won't be there with me every day. I'm afraid of being alone."

"Oh," Beca thought for a moment, pressing another kiss to Adrienne's forehead and wiping the tears from her eyes. "You are never going to be alone, I promise you that. Maybe we won't be living with you and we won't be there with you physically but we're always going to be with you. We'll be by your side and have your back no matter what. We love you Adrienne, don't forget that ever and you'll be okay. Besides, you're going to Barden, that isn't that far. We will visit you as much as you want. Plus, we're just a phone call away. I promise you right now you can call me any time you want. I don't care if it's 3 AM and you just need to talk to someone, you call me okay. Adrienne, I will drop everything, anytime to be there for you no matter what, remember that."

"Thank you. You know, you're kind of the best mom a girl could ask for."

"Well, you're kind of the best daughter I could ask for. Now, shall we go join your party? I think your boyfriend would like to see you in that dress. You look beautiful."

Beca took Adrienne's hand and helped her up off the bed. As they walked down the stairs Adrienne took one last deep breath. Things would be different next year, a lot different than she had ever known but that didn't mean they would be bad. She would try to remember to keep Beca's words in the back of her mind as she went off to college. Her family would always be there for her, no matter what.

* * *

"Hey gorgeous; thanks for joining the party. We've all been waiting for the guest of honour," Aubrey announced, giving the young girl a hug. "Congratulations sweetie, we're all really proud of you."

"Thanks Aubrey, Beca was just helping me with my makeup."

Both Chloe and Aubrey raised an eyebrow at the girl at this statement given their intimate knowledge of Beca's ability or lack thereof to put on makeup well. They let the comment slide though and just gave Beca a knowing glance.

"Is she okay?" Chloe whispered in her wife's ear.

"She's good, just some nerves. We talked, she'll be fine."

"You're amazing, you know that right?" Chloe kissed the other woman square on the lips.

"I just love her; it's as simple as that."

"I know you do."

* * *

" _Hey Becs, are you crying?"_

" _Uh…yeah. Sorry," Beca wiped the tears from her eyes._

" _What's wrong?"_

" _No, nothing's wrong. These are happy tears."_

" _What are we happy about then?" Chloe asked._

" _Do you know what your daughter just asked me?"_

" _No, what?"_

" _If it would be okay if she called me mom. We were just eating breakfast and Adrienne just asked me out of the blue and I kind of couldn't help but cry. She probably thinks I'm lame now, but I don't even care. I love her so much, all of them."_

" _That's great babe. I knew she'd get there in time. All 3 of them love you so much you know. It was hard for them to adjust at first but I know they think their lives are better with you in it. You're a great mom to them, even if you never in a million years thought you'd be a good mom. And you're going to be a great mom to our little one when he or she gets here too you know."_

" _How did I get so lucky to end up with you and 3 amazing kids?"_

" _You took a chance on making our relationship more than a distant memory Beca. You had faith in me and us and that's not luck. That's love."_

" _Well whatever it is, it's an amazing feeling and I couldn't be happier."_

" _Me neither."_

* * *

"Mama," the little brunette squealed as she ran across the backyard towards Beca.

"Amelia," Beca said excitedly as her daughter ran into her arms. "How are you enjoying the party sweetheart?"

"It's lots of fun. I was just building a sandcastle in the sandbox with Aaron and Brian but I wanted to see you."

Beca kissed the top of the small girl's head gently. "Well I wanted to see you too, so thank you for coming over to see me. Do you want a piggy back ride back to the sandbox?"

Amelia squealed with glee as Beca lifted her onto her back and made her way over to the sandbox.

"She's such a goofball," Aubrey said, laughing as Beca joined Amelia in building a sandcastle.

"Yes, but she's my goofball."

"Yes, yes she is Chloe. I bet 20 years ago you never thought you'd be happily married to Beca Mitchell with 5 children and a poodle whom I have personally heard her call pumpkin and sweetie."

"Can't say that I did, but I think maybe all the best things in life are unexpected, right?"

"Like meeting a cute British guy on vacation and marrying him two months later, or having twins."

"Exactly, just like that."

* * *

" _Running away, just like you always do Beca; you're so afraid to talk about anything real."_

" _Chloe don't. I'm with Jesse."_

" _But that doesn't stop you from wanting me."_

" _I love Jesse and I thought you loved Tom."_

" _I do, but that doesn't stop me from wanting you."_

" _Maybe it should."_

_Beca had turned back to face the red head when she had cursed her for running away again, but she couldn't stand there any longer. Chloe wasn't right, she couldn't be right. Maybe sometimes she wanted things to be different, but they weren't different. Beca was with Jesse, he was good to her, he loved her and he was her boyfriend. She had no excuse to be looking elsewhere for love. She had someone in her life, she didn't need Chloe. But Chloe was right, that didn't stop her from wanting her._

_Beca slammed the door to Chloe's apartment as she ran out. It was the last time she saw the red head and it broke her heart that the last memory she had of her was so devastating._

* * *

"What are we talking about?" Beca asked as she made her way back over to where the adults were standing.

"Oh just about how I have such a wonderful wife," Chloe revealed, kissing the brunette on the cheek.

"That's funny; I have a wonderful wife too. Maybe we should introduce them sometime," Beca teased.

"Aubrey's right, you're such a goofball."

"But you love me."

"I do."

"Hate to interrupt you two lovebirds but can we talk about what we're going to do about that boy?"

"What boy, you mean Jason?"

Beca could see the direction Tom's eyes were focused on. He was looking right at Adrienne who was sitting with a group of friends. Jason, a tall brunette boy with striking green eyes had his arm around her. Beca smiled as the boy whispered in Adrienne's ear and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Yes. Look at him over there, so smug and he's got his arm around her and he's laughing."

"Tom, seriously?" his wife Sienna looked at him incredulously.

"Yes seriously, he's no good."

"He's so sweet Tom."

"And he loves her," Beca added.

"He's good for her," Chloe chimed, "I like him."

"He's a bad apple," Tom insisted.

"He's not and you need to stop. You know I'd be the first one to get all up in that skinny boy's grill if he hurt her."

Tom sighed but he knew Beca was telling the truth.

"Yeah well, he just better watch it."

Chloe rolled her eyes, "yes Tom; be sure to keep your eyes peeled for signs of evil teenage boy in Jason. We'll back you up."

Sienna and Beca chuckled.

"You're lucky Tom, she chose a banjo player instead of the heartbreaking quarterback or two-timing lead guitarist or something," Sienna teased.

"Whatever, I'm getting a cupcake."

Chloe laughed as Tom walked away from the women. "He always did love chocolate cake."

* * *

Beca grabbed Chloe's hand and they took a seat in a pair of nearby lawn chairs. The sun shone down on them as they looked around at their party guests. The yard was filled with friends of Adrienne's as well as the rest of their children. It was filled with family members and friends of Beca and Chloe's as well as Tom's. Many people had turned up to congratulate Adrienne on her graduation and wish her well in the new school year as she went off to college. It was wonderful to see just how loved their daughter was.

"She'll be okay next year right?" Chloe asked.

"She will be fine. She's a good girl, and smart and Barden is really not that far away."

"You're probably right."

"I'm definitely right. She's going to have a great time and make some awesome lifelong friends."

"Hopefully she won't wait ten years to get back in touch with them though."

"Yes well, hopefully she'll be a lot less stubborn than her mother."

"Hopefully," Chloe laughed.

10 years apart had been made up for with 10 wonderful years together. 10 years of new memories to make up for 10 years of thinking about what might have been. 10 years together, and Beca was only looking forward to more. More years, more memories, more happiness and more love; Beca couldn't imagine anything better.


End file.
